Heroic Satan: A Gohan and Videl Story
by Lets Random
Summary: Hercule is often depicted as a popular fraud who won the Cell Games. What if Hercule died an unsung hero instead? A Gohan and Videl story.
1. The Beginning

Summary: Hercule is often depicted as a popular fraud who won the Cell Games. What if Hercule died an unsung hero instead? A Gohan and Videl story.

AN: The Legacy of Gohan: The Completed Story is one of my main inspirations for this fic. If you pay attention you'll see me draw a lot from DC and other sources… If you can guess the one that start with a P I'll give you a cookie. This story is going to deal with the development of heroes/superheroes similarly to Smallville and Ultimate Spider-Man rather than being a Gohan torture fic. (There still may be some). In the future I hope to add more comedy, darkness, and romance.

Disclaimer: Don't own DBZ. Some cussing, possibly graphic scenes later on. Rated M to be safe.

_Gohan, tears in his eyes, looked down at the Champ sprawled before him, "Why?"_

"_Couldn't let your dad get all the glory eh?" the man coughed up blood, "Make his sacrifice worth it."_

_Still stunned, Gohan could only repeat himself, "Why?"_

"_Someone needs to kick Cell's ass..."_

Out of the dust, a lone figure was seen walking towards the camera. The boy lowered his cargo onto the ground, pausing briefly with a bow of his head before taking off into the sky. Reporters would later identify the corpse of the world champion, Hercule Satan.

.

_Seven Years Later…_

Gohan woke up to a sharp stomach pain followed by a dull ache. Opening his eyes, he was greeted by a black bush of hair jumping up and down. Gohan shut his eyes with a groan. As the pain persisted, he slowly cracked open his eyes to get a better picture. Gohan quickly realized that the sight of his bouncing brother also came with full volume, real-life, surround sound. _ It's too early for this._

"Gohan! Gohan! Get up! Get up!" Goten yelled as jumped on Gohan.

With another groan, Gohan took a half-hearted swipe at Goten.

Dodging nimbly, Goten stuck out his tongue, "Missed me!"

Grabbing his pillow and to cover both his ears, Gohan replied, "Get out of here squirt."

Goten stood still, thoughtfully scratching his head. Gohan noticed his brother's ki still in the room and sighed.

"What is it Goten?"

"Mom sent me up here," Goten replied.

"Why?"

"..."

Gohan sighed again, "Goten?"

The young boy shrugged, "Don't remember."

"Really?" Gohan demanded.

"Nope!" Goten replied with a happy nod.

Gohan let out an exasperated sigh before bending up and ruffling Goten's hair. With a smile, Gohan berated Goten good naturedly.

"You should remember these things you know."

"I know," Goten replied with his eyes downcast, clasping his hands behind his back, "I'm sorry."

Moved by Goten's sincerity, Gohan quickly reassured his brother, "Don't worry about it little bud. If it's important, mom will yell."

"GOHAN! YOU'RE GOING TO BE LATE FOR SCHOOL!" echoed throughout the house a split second later.

Wincing in pain, despite being a full flight of stairs and a corridor away, Gohan yelled in return.

"I still have lots of time mom!"

"Not if you want breakfast you won't!" Chi-Chi retorted slightly more calm than before.

Goten disappeared in an orange blur at the mention of breakfast, leaving a half-naked Gohan in bed. Laughing quietly, Gohan quickly rose out of bed, putting on the clothes his mother had laid out for him the night before. One piece at a time, Gohan put on a pair of red slacks, a loose white shirt, and a stylish black vest, if he said so himself. He thought the outfit was both stylish and trendy, without showing off his body's abnormally toned physique.

_A perfect first impression… I hope. _Dispelling his doubts with a shake of his head, Gohan headed downstairs.

Goten was already shovelling food down his gullet in typical Saiyan fashion by the time Gohan reached the bottom landing. The youngest Son greeted Gohan with a happy nod, his cheeks comically bulging, before resuming his inhalation of food.

His mom in her traditional garb, greeted him with a smile as Gohan neared the kitchen table, "Good morning Gohan. You better eat up fast, or you'll be late."

"I still have lots of time mom," Gohan replied, "It takes less than half an hour to fly to Golden Star City."

He noticed a slight scowl on Chi-Chi's face as she countered, "I can't have you late on your first day. No son of mine is going to become a delinquent."

"Don't worry mom, I'll make it to school with plenty of time to spare," Gohan reassured his mom.

"And no funny business when you're at school," Chi-Chi added.

Scratching his head, he asked, "Funny business?"

"No flying, ki-blasts, punching, kicking, super strength, super speed, eating like a pig…" with a brief pause, Chi-Chi raised her finger to her chin, "Pretty much anything Goku would do."

"I know I need to fit in," Gohan replied. As an afterthought asked, "But what if there's an emergency?"

The scowl returned, "I trust you Gohan to be careful."

"Careful of what?" Goten asked curiously.

"Don't worry about it sweety, it's big boy stuff," Chi-Chi directed towards Goten.

"I'm a big boy now," Goten pouted, then raised both his hands, "I'm seven!"

Chi-Chi sighed, "Yes you're seven. But that's eight fingers,"

"Oops," Goten let out, not looking at all sorry.

Holding in laughter, Gohan explained, "It's school stuff-"

"Euch," Goten interrupted with a protruding tongue.

Gohan continued with a smile, "So you won't have to worry about that until you're older. Ok bud?"

"Wait a minute," Chi-Chi butt in. Her scowl was back and it was accompanied by twitching fingers. Fingers which probably ached for a reunion with a specific pan handle. Gohan paled slightly. His mom continued to speak.

"Goten is not too young to be worried school. In fact, we really need to start his studies again."

"But Gohan says I don't- mmph!" Gohan quickly covered Goten's mouth with his hand, keeping Chi-Chi's twitching fingers in sight the whole time.

"Ah haha. Don't worry Goten. Studying can be fun!"

The fingers calmed slightly. Gohan released the breath he was holding and lowered his hand. It was a mistake.

"No it can't. Studying is soooooo boring!" Each finger began rigidly flexing independently of the others.

_Yikes! _Gohan decided discretion was the better part of valour and quickly grabbed his school bag.

"Bye mom! Bye Goten!" Gohan called over his shoulder, rushing for the exit.

Inside the Son residence, all hell broke loose.

.

"Hurry it up in there!" a masked gunman yelled back at his allies.

"What's the matter Veridian? Cops ain't gonna get here for another few minutes," jeered another gunman as he exited the central Golden Bank branch. As he left, he couldn't resist firing some rounds over the heads of the crouched bank employees.

"Relax, we got what we came for. Let's go," soothed the female member and leader of their party.

Veridian nervously eyed the street, "Looks like the coast is clear guys."

The second man laughed, "What the whole 10 meters to our getaway car?"

The woman just smirked.

"Shut up Pewter, let's just go," Veridian shot back, his fear obvious. He dashed quickly towards the car, making Pewter burst out laughing yet again. The woman observed Veridian with a disapproving frown.

"Seriously, calm down," spoke the leader of the trio.

"Lavender, you don't understand. What if the Black Demon comes?" Veridian asked as they approached. Even as he asked the question, his eyes were constantly moving in fear.

Disgusted, Pewter sneered, "The Black Demon isn't real."

"It totally is," Veridian began to open his door, "Two of my friends barely made it to jail because of it."

Pewter looked like he wanted to argue, but was cut off by Lavender, "That's why we decided to do this during the day. This way, the worst we have to deal with is the cops. Doesn't matter if the Black Demon is real or not."

"What did we get anyways? Doesn't look like much," Pewter asked as he began opening his door, "Seems like an awful waste to rob a bank for a little box."

"It's a safety deposit box idiot," the leader explained, "Our client is paying good money for- Shit."

Police sirens filled the air as police cars began barricading both directions of the road.

Lavender cursed. Their getaway car was now worthless. Taking in the scene, she came to a quick decision.

"Bring out the heavy artillery boys"

Pewter grinned. Veridian whimpered.

.

A few minutes later, Gohan found himself flying over a shoot-out between the police and what appeared to be bank robbers. He took in the double blockade established by the police. Cars and their doors were being used for cover by both sides. Unfortunately for the police, it seemed like the robbers had semi-automatic weapons to their hand guns and was that? A bazooka to their loudspeaker?! _The police need some serious help. Mom did say I could use my powers in an emergency... I just need to be careful about it._

Powering up into ascended Super Saiyan as a precaution, Gohan sped into action. Moving at full speed, everything around Gohan slowed to a crawl. He quickly disarmed the three criminals and decided their guns could be put to better use. Twisting their guns to form a giant metal rope, Gohan fastened the trio to a nearby lamppost. Satisfied with his work, Gohan almost took back to the skies, but something caught his eye.

Bullets were flying at a snail's pace every which way. Gohan wasn't sure of their trajectories and decided to take care of all of them. He plucked several dozen bullets out of the air before depositing them in a pile beneath the secured criminals. After a quick look over of the scene, Gohan decided that the situation had been dealt with properly and took back to the sky. Gohan relaxed his energy and concentration, allowing time to flow normally around him.

Down below, criminals and police alike were stunned to find all three criminals tied by a metal bow to a lamppost with a pile of bullets placed neatly at their feet. The police slowly approached after a moment or two, their disbelief clear. The woman's screams of rage seemed to settle the matter and the police quickly and efficiently began to re-establish control over the scene.

With a smile, Gohan continued his flight towards school. _And no one even knows what happened._

.

Videl was not like most people. Most people ran away from the sound of gunfire, screaming. She on the other hand, decided that running full speed towards the shoot-out was the best idea. As she approached, Videl quickly took notice of good vantage points near the crime scene where she could launch her own assault on the criminals. Gathering her energy, Videl prepared to leap into a nearby tree when an overwhelming wave of power washed over her.

Videl lowered her stance and gritted her teeth. _What the hell is this? I've never felt anything like this before!_ _This power is overwhelming!_

With her body freaking out, Videl closed her eyes and took a deep breath to regain control of her body. And like that the overwhelming power disappeared. Puzzled, Videl looked up to see all three would-be bank robbers dangling from a lamppost, with the woman screaming her rage for all to hear. Videl blinked several times in disbelief. She was sure the police were just as confused.

There was a sudden prickling at the back of her head. Videl's narrowed her eyes.

_There!_ Looking towards the sky, Videl saw a tiny figure briefly before it blurred and disappeared. _Who or what the hell was that?_

Approaching the crime scene, Videl addressed one of the officers ushering civilians away from the area.

"What happened here?"

The officer gave her the cliché, "Move along, nothing to see here."

Videl placed both her hands on her hips, "Not even a minute ago there was a shoot-out going on. You can't tell me it just magically ended!"

"I'm sorry but this is a police matter and-"

"I just want to know what happened, I'm not trying to get into the scene or anything," Videl interrupted. The officer noticed her stubborn demeanor and sighed.

"Look miss?..." the officer let the question hang in the air.

"Videl."

The officer gave a nod, "Right. Miss Videl, I honestly have no idea what happened myself. All I know is, one minute I'm shooting at crooks and praying for my life. The next, the crooks are tied to a lamppost by the mangled remains of their own firearms."

Videl's eyes widened, "They're tied to that post by guns? How?"

"Look. I've already said too much already," the officer took another look at Videl and groaned, "But you're not going to leave until you know more right?"

Videl smirked, not giving one inch of ground.

"Exactly right. Officer?..." it was Videl's turn to let the question hang.

"Officer Cent."

"So what more do you know?" asked Videl.

"Nothing concrete," officer Cent replied.

"But?"

The police officer gave Videl a half-hearted grin, "A lot of the guys swear they saw a golden blur move around the scene. Quarter there, swears he saw golden pixie dust. Nickel believes he was temporarily blinded by a golden flash of light. Everyone else saw absolutely nothing."

"Hmmm…" Videl began to contemplate the possibilities. _What does this all mean?_ A sudden cough interrupted her thoughts.

"Yes?" Videl snapped, anger flaring.

Cent took a step back, intimidated, "Uh sorry, just… could you leave the area now? We need to complete our investigation."

"I need to get to school now anyways," Videl replied, before taking off in the opposite direction.

Officer Cent grumbled, "No please or thank you? What happened to this generation's manners? That's the last time I give out random information to a civilian."

It would not be the last time.

.

Gohan decided to touch down a few blocks away from Golden Star High School. He reasoned that a walking student would blend in much better than a flying one. Still, an inconspicuous student was not an invisible student.

"Yoohoo! Hey Cutie!" called out a blonde from behind Gohan.

Completely oblivious, Gohan kept on walking.

"Handsome! Turn around!" the female tried again.

Again he continued on oblivious.

The blonde harrumphed and crossed her arms. A long-haired male laughed beside her.

"Come on Erasa, he's probably just a freshman or something."

Erasa raised an eyebrow, "He's one tall freshman then."

"Ok fine, he's still probably younger than you," the other blonde replied.

"What makes you think that Sharpie?" Erasa questioned.

Sharpener winced, "I asked you not to call me that already."

Erasa stuck out her tongue as Sharpener continued, "Still, if he was our age, we'd probably have met him by now."

"But what if he's new to the school?" Erasa reasoned.

Sharpener shrugged his muscular shoulders, "It's rare for a junior or a senior to transfer schools."

"But possible," Erasa countered.

"Yeah," Sharpener sighed.

"Even if he is younger than me, I'd totally give him a shot," gushed Erasa.

Sharpener's palm met his forehead in an obviously practiced manner. Erasa giggled before speaking up again.

"Come on! We don't want to be late for school on our first day! Let's see if we can find Videl!"

"I don't want to be in school at all," Sharpener grumbled. He followed nonetheless hoping to run into Videl.

Gohan followed the clearly marked signs once inside the school, looking for the administrative office.

.

In the classroom, Videl sat head in her arms waiting for class to start. She half listened to Sharpener and Erasa chat beside her about their summer holidays, too tired from her night activities to really pay attention. The commotion was suddenly halted when Mr. Alpha walked into room. Blinking in surprise at the silence, Mr. Alpha looked out at the room before coughing slightly into a hand.

"Good morning class."

"Good morning," replied a good portion of the glass.

Looking surprised at the classes' unusually good behaviour, it seemed like Mr. Alpha decided not to look a gift horse in the mouth. The teacher continued on and introduced the student standing just outside the door.

"We're lucky to have a new student joining us this year. Come on in boy come in," Mr. Alpha motioned for the student to enter the room.

A tall boy with insanely spiky hair shyly walked into the classroom. Looking around at all the students staring intently at him, Gohan blushed slightly.

Waving a hand, Gohan called out, "Hi, my name is Gohan Son."

Videl heard a gasp from beside her. Turning to face Erasa, Videl lifted an eyebrow questioningly. Unfortunately for her, Erasa was busy elbowing Sharpener and whispering fiercely. Videl strained her ears to listen in intently.

"See! I told you," Erasa whispered fiercely.

Sharpener sighed, "You were right. I was wrong."

"Yuppers," Erasa stuck out her tongue.

"So you gonna make a move on this boy?" the jock drawled.

"I left the seat beside me open just in case!"

Videl grinned when she heard Sharpener slap his face in exasperation. It had often surprised Videl and Sharpener how meticulously Erasa could plan ahead when it came to boys, but how badly she still did in school. So often in fact, it was no longer a surprise for either friend that Erasa had left the chair beside her open on the off chance of meeting a new boy.

Tuning back into what the teacher was saying, Videl managed to pick up the end of Gohan Son's introduction speech.

"… is our school's greatest hope for winning the Golden Scholar Scholarship award. With his perfect entrance exam we hope that you will all give Gohan a big Orange Star welcome."

Mr. Alpha looked around at the class expectantly, while Gohan looked up apprehensively.

Then the catcalls began, making Videl wince.

"Nerd!"

"Golden Boy huh?"

"Geek!"

"Go home loser!"

"What kind of freak gets perfect on the any exam?"

"Shut up!" the teacher was trembling with obvious rage, "You're all a disgrace to the public school system!"

_Oh?_ Videl's interest piqued when Gohan laid a calming hand on Mr. Alpha's shoulder.

"Don't worry about it sir, it's fine."

To Videl's surprise Mr. Alpha seemed to calm slightly.

"Yoohoo! There's a seat right up here!" Erasa called down from the top row. The volume made both Videl and Sharpener cringe slightly. Thankfully Erasa's popularity silenced the catcalls immediately.

"Why thank you miss Rubber," Mr. Alpha indicated to the top row, "Go up there Mr. Son."

Gohan gave the teacher a slight bow before he started making his way up the stairs.

"He's gonna get himself beat up on his first day," Sharpener commented shaking his head.

Laying her head back down on the desk, Videl couldn't help but agree with the sentiment.

.

Gohan brought out his blue notebook in anticipation for the next period.

Erasa giggled, "Relax Gohan, Mr. Beta always comes in late. Even more so, cause it's the first day and all."

"Oh really?" Gohan asked surprised.

"Yeah, so why don't we chat?" Erasa asked, suggestively.

"Why don't you tell me about yourself?" Gohan asked, oblivious to the slight drop in Erasa's tone.

Sharpener burst out laughing, "You've got your work cut out for you Erasa."

Erasa simply pouted in response.

Sharpener offered Gohan his hand, "The name's Sharpener, Sharpener Pencil. And the sleepy head over here is Videl Satan."

Gohan looked over at the sleeping girl Sharpener had motioned to.

"Why does the name sound familiar?" Gohan asked.

Erasa gave Sharpener a nervous look, who gave her a reserved nod.

"Because her father fought in the Cell games."

Gohan's eyes widened, "Really?"

"Yeah, he didn't do that well," Erasa responded, her eyes downcast.

Sharpener gave Gohan a hard look, "Don't talk about it with Videl unless she starts it. And don't you dare make fun of her dad."

Gohan was under the impression that Sharpener really cared for Videl, but had to ask.

"Who was her dad?"

"Hercule Satan," replied Sharpener cautiously.

"But he's a hero!" Gohan exclaimed, standing up "Why would I make fun of him?"

Sharpener's face broke into a large grin as he slapped Gohan on the back, "I had a feeling about you. I knew you were alright. Despite being a nerd and all."

Gohan noticed that a good portion of the student's in the room had their attention focused solely on him. Blushing slightly, he sat down quickly.

"Not everyone sees it that way," Erasa explained, "Some people think he's just a loser who died early in the fight."

"Do a lot of people think that way?" Gohan demanded slightly angry.

Touched, Erasa answered softly, "Unfortunately, people's opinions are pretty split."

"Why?" Gohan couldn't understand. _This man sacrificed his life to help protect the world! How could anyone see him as anything but a hero? He showed me how even the smallest man can make a difference._

"A lot of people's hopes were riding on the former champ. Watching him lose that quickly was hard on a lot of people…" the male blonde explained.

"But he gave his life fighting for those he loved!" Gohan whispered vehemently.

Sharpener grinned, "I agree with you, Erasa agrees with you, heck a lot of people do. Just not everyone."

"I still don't understand," Gohan shook his head.

"Don't worry about it sweetie, that's just the way the world is," Erasa consoled, taking an opportunity to wrap an arm around Gohan.

"Welcome to life out of the country," Sharpener said.

Gohan sighed, "I still think Hercule was a hero. It doesn't matter what others think."

"Thank you," Gohan turned, startled to see Videl awake.

"Videl when did you wake up?" he asked, noticing the distinct blue of her irises.

She smirked, "About the time you yelled."

"Uh… well about that…" Gohan rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Uh I haven't introduced myself!"

Gohan shot his hand out quickly for a handshake only to have Videl quickly knock his hand away. Surprised, Gohan noticed she was slightly apologetic.

"Sorry, reflex," Videl explained before offering her hand first, "Videl Satan."

"Gohan Son," he shook Videl's hand warmly.

Uncomfortable with the handshake happening over his lap, Sharpener coughed. Both Gohan and Videl jumped back sharply eliciting a squeak from Erasa and a small laugh from Sharpener.

"I was just thinking we need to take Gohan under our wing Videl," Sharpener spoke.

Gohan looked confused while Videl nodded in affirmation.

"Why?" Gohan just had to ask.

"Well, like Mr.A said, you're going to be our golden ticket and all that," Sharpener explained nonchalantly.

Erasa obviously happy, gave Sharpener a large hug. The boy could only squawk slightly in protest before his air supply was cut off. It took some prodding from Gohan before Sharpener was allowed to breathe again.

"Thanks Brains," Sharpener shot Gohan a small smile.

Gohan decided the nickname was a term of endearment rather than an insult. The whole situation was giving the saiyan a warm fuzzy feeling and Gohan decided he quite enjoyed it. It was only second period and Gohan had made three new friends. _Best first day of class ever!_

.

Videl had understood what Sharpener meant the moment he had suggested having Gohan join their group. He was worried about the scholar's safety. High school was a rough place for anyone who wasn't 'normal' and being the school's hope for the Golden Scholar Award definitely did not constitute 'normal'. Erasa's eagerness was likely due to another reason. Although reluctantly and grudgingly, Videl agreed that Erasa may have finally found a decent choice. _This may be one of Erasa's boys I finally approve of._

The group of four split at the lunch bell, agreeing to meet up once they all had their food. Gohan's locker was on the other side of the school from the others, but Videl promised to pick him up on their way outside.

Gohan rifled through his locker putting some books away and retrieving others. Deciding to trust his new friends, Gohan made sure he put full-size meal capsule in his pocket rather than his snack-size capsule. Closing his locker, Gohan noticed three teens decked out all in leather, metal chains, and ripped clothing making their way towards him.

Their leader was the largest with broad shoulders and a surprisingly well-groomed appearance. The other two were smaller, but their facial piercings and bleach blond hair added to their punk-ish appearance. The two smaller youths were both obviously the submissives of the group, but altogether they did not seem to be at all welcoming. In fact, the group looked downright hostile.

"So, I heard you're some sort of super nerd," the tallest, a brunette, said.

"Uh… that's what some people say," Gohan mumbled, looking down at the floor.

As the other two cronies flanked Gohan from either side, Gohan found his personal space being heavily encroached upon. The largest of the three brought his smirking face right up to Gohan's.

"Well you see, I think we can come to a little agreement."

"What agreement?" Gohan asked, not feeling the fear many in his position would.

"You do my homework for me and I don't beat your face in," the youth replied.

Gohan smiled slightly, "Uh… But then how would you learn?"

"Listen don't smart mouth me," the teenager sneered as his muscle sniggered, "Otherwise your face is going to have meet my-"

"Shredder!" finally Gohan had a name to put with the face.

Both Gohan and Shredder turned their heads. Videl stormed down the hall with Sharpener in tow. Gohan took in her anger apprehensively while Shredder seemed to relish in it.

"Ah hell's bitch," he spat.

"Douche," Videl shot back.

Gohan hissed quietly, "Language Videl! You're going to get in trouble."

Shredder and his friends found this remark hilarious and broke out into laughter. Sharpener decided it would be a good time to step forward.

"He's with us Shredder."

"Captain," the blonde was given a distinctly cold look.

"You better back off Shredder," Videl's eyes narrowed, "Now."

"Just like always eh Sharpie?" Shredder mocked, "Following that bitch like a lost poppy?"

Videl put a hand over Sharpener's tightening fist, "He could get you kicked off the team."

"They can't. He's too good," the shortest punk laughed, "Without Shredder there is no boxing team."

Shredder decided to turn back to Gohan, "So can't fight your own battles? Need to be protected by this little girl?"

Gohan backed against his locker, unwilling to start a physical confrontation. So he simply mumbled what he hoped would be a mollifying reply.

"I don't like fighting. I don't mind Videl protecting me…"

The three delinquents laughed loudly, "What a wimp! Needs a girl to protect him!"

"Shut up Shredder," Videl snapped.

"A girl whose dad got beat in less than 3 seconds," Shredder kept laughing, "I haven't seen anything more pathetic in my life!"

Videl lunged at Shredder, only to be held back by Sharpener. _Damnit! If he wasn't my friend, I'd kick him right now._

Thrashing violently, Videl shrieked, "I'm going to kill you! Damnit Sharpener let go!"

Sharpener strained his muscles, hanging on for dear life. The more Shredder's minions sniggered the more Videl struggled and he wasn't sure how much longer he could hold her. Eventually, the minions decided to add their own salt to the wounds.

"What kind of pussy gets knocked out in one punch?"

"Are you sure _you_ weren't the man of the house instead of him?"

Proud of his gang, Shredder continued, "Heh, some world champ your dad was. Hercule Satan? First class lose-"

_Smack!_

Shredder stumbled from the impact of the blow.

Everyone froze for a moment. Confused, Videl relaxed, allowing Sharpener to sigh in relief. Standing in front of Shredder with an open palm was none other than Gohan.

"What the fuck nerd? What's your problem?" demanded Shredder, rubbing his sore face.

"Hercule Satan was more man than you could ever be," snapped an unusually stoic Gohan.

For everyone involved, it seemed like time had frozen still. Both sides were shocked by the young scholar's actions. Even students walking by seemed to notice the time dilation. The tableau was disrupted with the arrival of Mr. Beta.

"Is there a problem here?" demanded Mr. B.

"No sir," replied Shredder, wiping his cheek, "We're just fooling around."

Turning to Gohan the teacher asked, "Is that all?"

Gohan simply nodded. Mr. B sighed. There was obviously animosity between the students, but if both parties denied involvement, without witnessing the problem himself there was nothing he could do.

"Well then, it's lunch, why don't you all get to it?"

Gohan's stoic face melted, before giving he gave Mr. B a small grin, "Sure thing, teach."

Shredder couldn't resist one last, "Teacher's pet," before signalling his group to head off.

Gohan's smile stayed on his face as he watched Mr. Beta walk off. Turning his attention to his new friends, Gohan found both of them looking at him stunned.

Videl was first to break out her trance, "What was that Gohan?"

"What was what?" Gohan asked innocently, scratching the back of his neck.

Sharpener snorted, "That bitch slap across Shredder's face! It was beautiful!"

Gohan found his grin returning at his friends' obvious mirth.

"Next time though, you might want to use a fist. Real fighters don't slap people," Videl frowned at Gohan in good humour.

Gohan blushed slightly, "Like I said, I'm not a fighter. I don't believe in fighting."

"Why didn't you stand up for yourself earlier?" Sharpener asked.

"I can't take him…" Gohan explained, lying completely.

"But when he insulted Hercule, you snapped," Sharpener finished for him.

Gohan gave an embarrassed nod. He was oblivious to the scrutiny Videl was giving him. _It's rare for a stranger to react that strongly about dad…_

Sharpener on the other hand couldn't help but feel for the guy. Although he had made the decision before to welcome Gohan, Sharpener now found himself in the unlikely position of possibly making a friend out of the nerd. Slinging a buff arm around Gohan's shoulders, Sharpener pointed down the hall.

"Come on Brains, let's go find Erasa and we'll show you our awesome eating tree."

Gohan nodded his head with a grin, before walking down the hall. Gohan realized his thoughts right now may have been a little sappy but he couldn't help it. _There's friendship in the air._

.

Elsewhere, Xel Rohtul, CEO and president of Golden Industries Corporation, was going over his weekly financial breakdown. His bald head reflected the dim lights in a manner which only enhanced his handsome features. With dark eyes, Rohtul scanned the report in detail. Hearing a knock on his office door, Xel buzzed in his visitor.

Still looking over the report, the CEO spoke after a moment, "Speak already."

"Uh sir… there's been a problem…" the employee spoke nervously.

Xel's eyes shot up and narrowed quickly. The employee gulped and remembered with growing panic that they were on the 30th floor of the building. Sweating bullets, the employee shivered when his boss crossed his fingers and rested his chin on his hands. A moment later, the employee's blood froze.

"Explain."

AN: I would appreciate all comments/criticism as long as the criticism is constructive. Flames won't help me grow as a writer.

Edit: Dec 2012: A few flow/minor mistake fixes.


	2. Thinking and Learning

"So? Gohan, tell us about yourself," Erasa spoke, as the group sat down in the shade of the tree.

"Uh… I like food?" Gohan supplied, visibly unsure of how to respond.

"Oooo… really?" Erasa queried, "Let's see what you brought!"

Sharpener couldn't help but let out a small laugh at the female's antics while Videl simply rolled her eyes. Gohan looked slightly apprehensive.

"I just wanted to warn you all, I have a big appetite," Gohan began, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"Don't worry about it dude, we're still growing," Sharpener consoled.

"You'll see what I mean when I start eating," Gohan explained, grinning, "But I'm trusting you guys with this about me since you've all been so nice to me already."

Videl raised an eyebrow skeptically. _How much does Gohan actually eat? He looks really scrawny after all…_

The poof of smoke revealing Gohan's meal: several stacks of sandwiches, a few meat platters, a large broccoli based dish, and a large bowl of rice. As he observed everyone's slack jawed response, Gohan couldn't help but chuckle nervously as a slight blush ran across his face.

Erasa was the quickest to recover and couldn't resist asking.

"Are you really going eat that all?"

Gohan nodded sheepishly.

"You know lunch is only as long as a normal period right?" Sharper was next to recover.

Gohan's head bobbed once more.

"Well then, let's see you do it," Videl challenged, finally overcoming her shock.

Gohan's face broke into a goofysmile before he dove into his food with an energy only a Saiyan could muster.

His three new friends could only watch in shock. It took a piece of lettuce dropping from Erasa's fork onto the ground for the others to start eating, admittedly at a snail's pace compared to him.

"Where does he put it all?"

"Is he even chewing?"

"How does he swallow it all?"

"How does he even breathe?"

Gohan, who was completely focused on his food, tuned out his friends' comments as they continued to stare at him, eating their own meals in a slightly disgusted manner.

Only fifteen minutes later, all four had finished their meals. Gohan patted his stomach in contentment. Enjoying his satiated experience, he turned to look at his friends.

"So how were your meals?"

Sharpener shook his head, still in disbelief, "Apparently not as good as yours."

"Yeah, my mom's a great cook," Gohan explained.

"I can see that," snorted Videl.

"How does she make it all?" Erasa asked her eyes still wide in shock.

"Well, she spends a fair amount of time cooking for my brother and me," Gohan responded thoughtfully, "She used to cook even more when my dad was still around."

"What happened to your dad?" Erasa seemed eager to learn more about the scholar.

"He died seven years ago," Gohan's eyes were downcast.

"That sucks dude," Sharpener responded.

Videl absorbed the information quietly, but the timing was slightly coincidental. She decided to tentatively ask; after all he knew what happened to her father.

"If you don't mind, could I ask how he died?"

"You're not the only one who lost someone to Cell," Gohan explained, the pain of the loss was still evident to Videl. _He's just like me. Well, not exactly… but what are the odds of neither of our dad's coming back on Miracle Day?_

"But I thought almost everyone came back during Miracle Day," Erasa sputtered. Sharpener was wearing a small frown.

"It depended on the circumstancesof how people died," Gohan explained with a shake of his head, "Under certain conditions, people didn't come back to life."

"How do you know that? What sort of circumstances?" Videl demanded.

Gohan looked sad, "I did some research after the Cell Games about the resurrection. But, I'd rather not talk about it right now. It's still a very sore subject for me."

Videl nodded reluctantly, they had just met this morning after all.

"Well that was a kill-joy," Sharpener attempted to change the subject, "By the way, Gohan, would you be interested in learning some self defense?"

"Huh?" the half-Saiyan asked.

"Well, I'm the captain of the boxing team. And Videl here is an expert martial artist."

"Uh… it's ok, guys, I honestly don't like fighting," Gohan explained, once again.

"Don't worry about it, Brains. Some people like sports, some people like books—I get it," Sharpener laughed, giving Gohan a friendly clap on the back.

"Actually… I don't like studying that much either," Gohan continued to introduce himself.

Erasa squealed, "Really? Then how do you do so well in school?"

Gohan shuddered, "My mom."

"What does yours do?" Videl's eyes danced slightly.

"Yours too?" he turned his attention to the girl.

She nodded in agreement.

"Well we have to replace the frying pan frequently is all I can say," Gohan replied in a light tone.

Videl laughed, something Sharpener was glad to see, "Well my mom isn't that bad, but she's pretty strict about curfew and my studies."

Gohan sighed internally. _ They think I'm joking…_

He turned to Sharpener and Erasa, "What are your parents like?"

Sharpener motioned to Erasa, who looked ready to burst having not talked in a while.

"Well my dad is some big lawyer guy at Golden Industries, and, you know, he's like, super chill. He trusts my judgement, though my mom sometimes questions it. But she's pretty nice too, and does a lot of charity stuff."

"Oh, that's pretty cool, working for Golden Industries and all."

Erasa nodded emphatically.

"So, um, Sharpener, what about you?" Gohan faced the blonde youth.

"My dad's been raising me since I was a kid. We lost mom early on, so I barely remember her."

Gohan sympathized, "I'm sorry."

Sharpener dismissed his pity with a wave, "We do all right. I'm hoping for a shot at the Golden Sportsman Scholarship. If I get that, then I'm set."

"Golden Sportsman Scholarship? Is that also offered by Golden Industries?"

Videl looked at Gohan with surprise, "You didn't know?"

"Know what?" he asked.

"The Golden Sportsman, Golden Scholar, and Golden Student Scholarships are offered by Golden Industries for one student each year here, in Golden Star City," Sharpener explained.

"What about you,Videl?" Gohan asked.

Sharpener shook his head, "Videl would probably be a better candidate, but the scholarship only recognizes school-sanctioned sports."

Gohan looked at the unfazed Videl who simply shrugged. Erasa began to look bored by all the scholarship talk. About to open her mouth, Videl beat her to the punch.

"Xel Rohtul and his company have done a lot for the city, hence the city name."

"You sound a little unsure about that," Gohan commented, picking up her tone with unusual social acuity.

"Videl thinks there might be another side to Xel Rohtul that the public doesn't see," Sharpener snorted.

"Really?" Gohan asked, taking the fighter's concerns seriously.

Videl nodded and Erasa decided enough was enough. The conversation had steered away from her desired topic long enough.

"Have you considered doing something for Student Council Gohan? I'm the Social Exec, for them!"

Gohan shook his head truthfully.

"Well we're looking for certain positions to fill. You'd be a perfect secretary, or even treasurer!" Erasa gushed, hoping to spend more time with the youth.

"Why didn't those posts get filled before the start of the year Erasa?" Sharpener reminded her gently.

Erasa mumbled, while Videl smirked. Sharpener just grinned, "What was that? Couldn't hear you over Gohan's grumbling stomach."

"Hey!" Gohan indignantly exclaimed, "My stomach growls before, not after I eat!"

Erasa blushed, "No one wanted the job. They're considered the boring positions."

"Oh, really?" Gohan asked surprised, "They sound like they'd be a good way to get involved."

Erasa instantly brightened. Gohan blinked. _Her mood changes so fast, she almost reminds me of mom._

"So, you'll try for one of those positions?"

"I can't," Gohan shook his head regretfully.

"Why not?" Erasa pouted.

"I have a long commute."

"Really? From where?" she asked, wanting to know more.

"Ever hear of the 439 Mountain Area?"

Erasa shook her head reluctantly as geography was never her strong suit—well academics in general. Videl however wasn't as inept at school, but based on her sketchy knowledge of local geography it would have placed Gohan's house hundreds of miles away. It would be a commute which wouldn't make any sense. She decided she would double check later.

"Well that's too bad. It would have been cool to hang out after school sometime," Sharpener said.

"Well…" Gohan paused thoughtfully, "I have friends in West City I could stay with if we ever did anything."

_That'd be my cover story anyways. I forgot how far the 439 Mountain Area is for regular people. I almost blew my cover already!_

"Awesome!" Erasa shot up delight, before she gave Gohan an affectionate hug.

Looking around in panic, he pleaded Sharpener and Videl silently for help. Sharpener just smiled while raising his hands in an 'I'm not getting in the way of this' sort of way, while Videl seemed to be slightly distracted in thought. A few minutes later, Erasa released Gohan's body and allowed oxygen to circulate back to his purple face.

The four friends shot up at the sound of the warning bell, signalling the end of lunch. Making their way inside, they went inside for an enjoyable, albeit lackluster last two periods. Well, it was enjoyable for Gohan anyways.

.

After school and saying goodbye to his friends with mild reluctance, Gohan flew to West City, hoping to catch Bulma with some free time. He'd been giving his activities of the morning some serious thought and had decided to take it upon himself to help the city whenever he could. Unfortunately, Gohan was unsure of how exactly he would go about helping, and reasoned Bulma would be a great source of advice. Also, he didn't want mom to know—at least not yet. He shuddered at the thought. _We'd probably have to buy a new frying pan every day for a week_.

Arriving at Capsule Corp., Gohan's leg was attacked by a purple-haired blur.

"Gohan! Did you come to play?" Trunks beamed.

Gohan laughed, "Sorry buddy, maybe later, I need to talk to your mom, though."

"Oh," the boy replied, looking a little put out.

"Look, I'll try to talk my mom into letting Goten come over tomorrow, how about it?" the teen asked, attempting to raise Trunk's spirits.

"Really?" At Gohan's nod, he jumped up, "Woopie! Goten's coming tomorrow!"

Dashing inside, Trunks continued to shout, "Goten's coming! Goten's coming!"

Shaking his head, Gohan laughed amusedly before walking in. _Why does everyone I know have insane mood swings?_

Following Trunk's happy shouts, Gohan figured he'd be led to Bulma. On his way, he walked by Vegeta who exiting the kitchen. Raising a hand in greeting, Gohan cheerily called out.

"Hey Vegeta, how's it going?"

Vegeta simply harrumphed before walking away towards the gravity chamber. He barely spared Gohan a second glance.

"Same old Vegeta, I suppose," Gohan sighed before continuing his search for Bulma.

Making his way to a lounge, he found Trunks bouncing beside a slightly disgruntled Bulma, sipping from her cup of coffee. Seeing Gohan walk in, Bulma raised an eyebrow questioningly.

"So, I hear Goten is coming over tomorrow?"

Gohan's hand began rubbing the back of his neck, "Well I just said I'd ask…"

"Is that so?" Bulma's eyes snapped back to Trunks who gulped slightly.

"Well if Gohan asks, his mom can't say no!" Trunks tried to reason.

"Are we talking about Goten's mother, Chi-Chi?" asked Bulma with a slightly mocking tone. Trunks picked up on it and winced.

"Well… if you help Gohan ask, she'd definitely say yes!" Trunks exclaimed.

Bulma sighed, "Every time the two of you get together, someone ends up regretting it. Namely me."

Gohan almost laughed out loud at Trunk's innocent expression. Everyone knew better, but no one could resist his puppy dog eyes.

"Really? Why?"

With another sigh, Bulma conceded, "Alright never mind. If you behave properly for the rest of the day-"

"Alright!" Trunks fist pumped the air, interrupting his mother.

"AND behave with Goten," Bulma snapped, before continuing,"**Then **I'll consider allowing more regular visits."

Trunks eyes widened, while Gohan shook his head in pity. Bulma was asking for trouble.

"Yes," She nodded, "Now shoo, Gohan and I need to talk."

"Ok!" called Trunks from outside the lounge door before disappearing down the hall.

"That boy is getting faster and faster," Bulma muttered, "Stupid Saiyans."

Gohan held up both his hands.

"He didn't get his genes from me. Not my fault."

Bulma smiled, "Of course not silly. I think I know what you came here to talk about."

"Really?"

"Your first day of school went well?"

Gohan nodded happily, "I'm really glad I decided to go. I've been able interact with other people my age."

"That's good, I'm glad things are going well."

"Yeah… I didn't actually come here to talk about school," Gohan began, unsure of how to continue on the discussion.

"So you came to talk about the Golden Blur?"

"Huh?" Gohan asked surprised, "What's that?"

Bulma smirked, "Haven't checked the news today have you? Something amazing happened this morning."

He shook his head in reply.

She walked over to a computer station in the corner of the room. She opened a web-link for him to read. Curious, Gohan walked over and read the article. Bulma watched as both shock and horror began to spread across the boy's face.

"But I'm not some freaky piece of tech! Or magical guardian angel! I'm just me!" Gohan exclaimed as he repeated the exact words printed on the article.

"What did you expect? The only thing that was tangible for everyone to see were your results. Some people saw flashes, but most people didn't even see anything."

Gohan explained, "I didn't want anyone to risk recognizing me."

"I get that, the problem is, right now you're just some possibly imaginary force that took down some criminals."

"What's the problem with that?" Gohan asked.

"Why did you do it?"

"Huh?"

"Why did you interrupt the bank robbery?" Bulma clarified.

Gohan scratched the back of his head, "Uh, it just seemed like the right thing to do."

"So you were just trying to protect the people, right?" Bulma attempted to figure out his reasoning.

"Yeah, the police looked like they were in trouble and I couldn't just stand there," Gohan explained.

Bulma paused, trying to organize her thoughts; Gohan could help the world in ways Goku never did. Gohan had the intelligence required to consider and anticipate long sequences of cause and effect, beyond the ability of simply beating the next world menace. She loved Goku dearly, but beyond fighting and eating, there was little Bulma or anyone else could count on him for.

"Well, you did it, but you didn't really help as much as you could of."

Gohan felt slightly insulted and snapped back surprised, "What do you mean? Those guys are going to be locked up for a long while."

"I'm not saying you didn't do a good job, in fact you did a great job. I'm just saying you could've have done more," Bulma tried to explain calmly.

"How?" Gohan demanded.

"You could've helped prevent future crimes," Bulma continued, when Gohan didn't interrupt, "If criminals thought there was legitimate proof of a real life superhero, they'd be much less likely to commit crimes."

"I don't want to be recognized," Gohan frowned.

Bulma waved a dismissive hand, "We could figure out a way to work around that with our two minds put together. You should take some time to think about it. If you're interested I'd definitely support you from behind the scenes."

"Do you really think I'd make that much of a difference?" Gohan asked, still frowning in thought.

"Look at this whole Black Demon thing!" Bulma exclaimed, glad to see Gohan was beginning to see her line of reasoning.

"I haven't read that much about the Black Demon to be honest, I thought he's a myth," Gohan replied.

Bulma shook her head, "I've been following police reports and the Black Demon has definitely been cleaning up the slums of Golden Star City."

"Why Golden Star City?"Gohan inquired.

Bulma sighed, "With all the rapid population and economic growth thanks to Xel Rohtul, many people flock to the city. Unfortunately, certain pockets have stagnated and even begun to fall apart with the lack of support. The focus has been all on new sectors of growth and development."

"That can't be good," Gohan frowned.

"Slums like the Iron Slums, Tinway Alleys, and Rickety Woods are rife with small time crime and unfortunately residents who want to move, can't afford anywhere else."

Gohan's frown returned, "So how has the Black Demon helped?"

"Over the past half year or so, the rate of random crime has dropped significantly throughout the crimes, mainly crimes against the city's citizens, seem to be the Black Demon's main target and they've dropped by over 25%!" Bulma exclaimed, before noticing Gohan's look, "And this is all considering that the Black Demon is only a rumour. Imagine the effect if people actually knew the Black Demon was real!"

Gohan's frown deepened, "But then the police would have to take action. They have a clear stance against vigilante activity."

"The Demon's methods are part of the problem," Bulma explained, "Many of the captured criminals… are found severely injured and occasionally maimed for life."

He was shocked, "And you want me to start doing that?!"

"No!" the scientist yelled vehemently, "I'd trust you to do this the right way, with minimal pain for everyone involved."

"Oh" the half-saiyan replied in relief.

Taking a deep breath, Bulma met Gohan's eyes in a rare, but intense gaze.

"I'm glad you're helping people with the training you developed," Bulma stated, "I was just hoping you'd surpass your father."

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked, again surprised. _I could never surpass my dad._

"Goku saved the world, but from the shadows. I hope one day you can help the world, but from the light."

"Why?" Gohan asked.

"You could give the rest of humanity what it needs to survive dark times on its own."

"What?"

"Hope."

.

After thanking Bulma for her time, Gohan headed home with much on his mind. _What do I want? What do people deserve? What can I afford to give?_

Gohan flew home and gave his mom very basic answers to her questions about his first day. Rushing into his room after dinner, he didn't notice his mom's approving comments of his school work. Little did she know, Gohan spent most of the evenings questioning justice, ethics, and what it all meant to him. A specific memory floated through his mind.

"_In the end, I'm doing this for the ones I love," explained Hercule, "I can't imagine a world without my daughter. So I'm going to do everything within my power to make sure she has a future."_

"_But sir-"_

"_I don't need to be there," the champion interrupted, "I wish I could be, but as long as she has a future. That's all that matters. Aren't you still fighting for someone?"_

_Gohan nodded reluctantly._

_Hercule inclined his head, wincing in pain "Who?"_

Gohan had forgotten his answer. Who indeed.

.

The next day, during lunch, Videl, Sharpener, and Erasa tried to ignore the piggish fashion in which Gohan ate and tried to carry on a conversation.

"So you hear about the Golden Blur?" Erasa asked happily.

Sharpener groaned, "Oh please, spare me. It was probably something in the air, like gas or something and everyone hallucinated."

"And those crooks tied themselves to the lamppost?" Erasa demanded sceptically.

Videl raised her eyebrow in amusement at her annoyance. Gohan continued on eating completely focused on his food. To Videl, Gohan was so engrossed on his food it was kind of… _gross._

"Well it doesn't make sense," Sharpener reasoned, "The whole situation doesn't make any sense."

"It could be a super hero or something!" Erasa countered.

Sharpener cocked his head to the side. He made a whole show of studying Erasa. Looking her all over, he paused to add some dramatic effect before speaking again.

"You know superheroes aren't real, right?"

"They could be!" Videl laughed as Erasa stuck out her tongue. There was a reason these two were her only friends. Well possibly two out of three. _It's rare to find people I feel genuinely comfortable around…_

The small argument was cut short by a loud sigh escaping Gohan. Everyone turned their heads to see him patting his belly in a satisfied manner. Noticing the attention, the boy spoke up sheepishly.

"What's going on?"

Erasa squealed, "You're just so cute!"

Personally, Videl found his eating disgusting, and judging from his facial expression, Sharpener did as well. But, the both of them had the good grace not to say anything.

"We were just talking about the Golden Blur!" Erasa explained.

"The Golden huh?" Gohan exclaimed, laughing rather oddly.

Videl's eyes narrowed something was off about his behaviour.

"You know the new superhero!" Erasa waved her arms around in what she deemed super-heroic actions.

"Uh no?"Gohan sheepishly replied.

Erasa launched into the tale he had experienced the day before. There were obvious embellishments and embarrassing moments; all of which Gohan tried not to react to. Sharpener was oblivious, too busy trying to counter Erasa's claims, but Videl picked up on the occasional twitch from Gohan. Unnerved, he pretended he didn't notice her silent staring._I forgot to look into him yesterday. I need to remember to do that when I get home today…_

Later after school, Gohan ran up to Videl.

"Hey Videl!"

"What's up Gohan?"

"Uh… I noticed you were very quiet at lunch," Gohan stammered out, "I was wondering if everything was alright?"

Videl smiled. A rare occurrence for her. _It's kinda sweet how caring he is._

"I just didn't have much to say."

Gohan was surprised, Videl was quiet, yes, but often quite opinionated on important issues, "Why not?"

"I just didn't have much to say that's all," Videl explained with a shrug.

Unusually persistent, Gohan asked, "You don't have an opinion about the Blur?"

"We don't know enough for me to have an informed opinion," Videl said.

"What do you mean?" Gohan asked.

"We still don't know if the Blur is a threat or not," Videl reasoned.

"But… he helped the police!" Gohan blurted out.

"He?... Where did you get that the Golden Blur is a boy? Or even human for that matter?"

Gohan waved his hands out in front of him in a panic, "That'd just be a logical assumption right?"

"Why? Do you think girls can't fight too?" Videl glared, hands on her hips. She was silently enjoying Gohan's visible squirming.

"No, not that… I just thought the Blur would be like the Black Demon, you know? A hero?"

Videl snorted, "Shows what you know. The Black Demon isn't a hero. The Black Demon just does what's necessary."

"What's necessary?" Gohan asked.

"An eye for an eye, Gohan. The world is crueler than you know. If the criminals lack empathy, someone has to show them the pain of their victims."

"Maybe…" Gohan paused in thought. Videl began to walk away while Gohan considered her words. _But that's not right._

"Bye Gohan! I gotta head to the dojo," Videl called over her shoulder as she continued to walk, "I'll see you tomorrow."

Nearby, a trio of delinquents were spying on the two. The two blondes were itching to pounce on their target, while the largest one motioned them to stay.

Shredder told his group, "Not yet."

"Why?" asked one of the blondes.

"You're not scared are you?" demanded the other.

Shredder snorted, "Hell no. But we need to catch him alone sometime. Then he'll get what's coming to him."

"He's alone now!" exclaimed one.

"Not going to risk Videl coming to rescue his ass."

"What's so scary about Videl?"

"You're a moron you know that? That bitch could probably take me out, if she weren't so obsessed with the school rules," Shredder explained, "Only way we're going to hurt her, is by breaking the rules."

A light bulb went off in each of the cronies' heads.

"Oh!"

"Is that why we're going after the Gohan kid?"

"Two birds with one stone," Shredder nodded, "Another day, Gohan. Another day…"

The three decided to make their way to the mall, interested in causing a ruckus at the local arcade.

.

"This Black Demon is really becoming a nuisance," Xel mused out loud.

Reltub, his personal manservant replied, "What would you have done sir?"

Drumming his fingers in thought, "The Black Demon needs to be dealt with. Although nothing serious has come from his actions, too many of my smaller night ventures have been disrupted."

Reltub simply nodded, knowing better than to interrupt his master's thought process.

"We could get the police involved…" Xel reasoned, "The police have already spoken out against vigilante action within the city."

"The police still believe the Black Demon to be a myth, sir," the butler reminded the CEO.

"That's but a small matter, I own enough of the force," Xel replied with a small hand wave, "Besides, if we were to gain proof of this Black Demon's existence, the rest of the force would fall in line."

"Is that wise, sir? It is possible that the evidence may be linked to some of your other ventures."

Anyone else would have been punished for their insubordination, but Reltub was Xel Rohtul's personal manservant for more than one reason.

"You bring up a valid point, this may be a better as a back-up plan," Xel conceded.

"Perhaps the Rocket Gang?"

The bald man frowned, "I'm reluctant to call on them again after failing to retrieve a simple safety deposit box."

"Sir, Miss Lavender has proven herself quite capable in the past. It was simply the interference of this 'Golden Blur'"

The CEO rubbed his temples and sighed, "Another potential emerging headache."

"Some very… peculiar conspiracy theorists have suggested the blur was a prototype for new police enforcement technologies developed by our company."

Although the idea was baseless at the moment, it could be a potential launching ground for a future company direction. _Quite an interesting concept…we've already delved into weapon technologies. It would be a simple matter to adapt them for other purposes._

"We shall see what happens with this 'Golden Blur' in the future. For now contact Miss Lavender through our usual means. And send for Doctor Septavius. We have much to discuss about taking our R and D in a new direction. A paradigm shift, if you will."

"Very good sir," Reltub bowed his mature frame in respect. He quietly exited Xel's office through the double doors, closing them behind him.

.

Later that evening, on the other side of town, Veridian was found running through a dark street in the Iron Slums. In his panic, he knocked over a garbage can and stumbled, falling to the ground. Behind him the dark figure slowed to an easy walk. Petrified, Veridian looked up to see the Black Demon walking ever closer.

It had only been a few days since getting bailed out of prison. Lavender's mysterious benefactor had been unusually forgiving given the circumstances and Veridian didn't feel like questioning the matter. Unfortunately, he decided to hook back up with some old friends in his search for cash instead of sticking with Rocket.

Now, Veridian lay in an alley sprawled on his back, fearing for his life. His friends, Cinnabar and Indigo also former Rockets, lay further up the alley, their bodies completely mangled. Veridian couldn't even check if they were alive. The fact he had soiled himself just now was the last drip of icing on the cake.

Further down the alley, the approaching figure paused for a moment. Sniffing the air, the Demon made what sounded like a disgruntled growl. Maybe it was the smell? It wasn't Veridian's fault he had had the shit scared out of him—literally.

"Look, we weren't going to hurt the lady, I swear!"Veridian pleaded.

The approaching figure ignored his pleas and took another step.

"I just really needed to money! We didn't hurt her!" the would-be-mugger tried again.

The Black Demon merely cocked its head in what could have been amusement. At this point, Veridian was beyond panic and felt his fear develop into full-blown hysteria. Glancing at the brutalized bodies of his friends, Veridian almost let his bowels go a second time. He crawled backwards as fast as he could, tripping over the same god-damned garbage can before feeling something press against his lower back. _My gun!_

Scrambling quickly, Veridian brought is gun to bear, pointing it straight at the Demon.

"Stay where you are! Or I'll shoot!" the crook stammered, his hands shaking horribly.

A snort of disbelief emitted from the dark figure.

"I mean it!" Veridian screamed, feeling his hysteria rise.

Another step. Closing his eyes, Veridian blindly shot at the figure. He slowly opened his eyes after hearing a grunt, thinking he had successfully brought down the Black Demon. In horror, Veridian barely saw something fly through the darkness before it knocked the gun out of his hand. Watching the object return to the Demon's outstretched hand; he realized his right hand had gone numb.

Veridian looked at his hand and blanched. His index and third finger were bent completely backwards, his fourth finger, crushed against his palm, his pinky looked dislocated, and his palm looked like it had vertically folded in half. A few seconds later, the pain set in.

No one was nearby to hear his screams.

.

The next day, three mangled would-be muggers were found outside the 23rd precinct. Upon reawakening, all three criminals confessed to their numerous criminal activities, on the condition that the police would keep them safe inside a cell.

Officer Cent sighed looking at mountain of paperwork, "This god-damned Black Demon is giving a headache."

Officer Cent could no longer deny the existence of the Black Demon. He hoped to Kami, the Golden Blur didn't exist either.


	3. Brief Nudity

AN: Sorry about the delayed update everyone. A combination of my lemon attempt, Mass Effect 3 release, and the difficulty of writing this chapter, it took longer than I had hoped. I'm attempting to grow as a writer and thus decided to try things out of my comfort zone, as will be seen in this chapter. Without further ado, the chapter! (After a disclaimer)

AN: April 2nd 2012: I've gotten a lot of response with my blur concept and I've decided not to redo this chapter, but rather take have Gohan go through a similar learning experience as me and test it first, before coming up with something else. (Also I hate simple Retcons)

Disclaimer: Do not own DBZ. This fic is rated **Mature**. Graphic violence and an attempted-rape present in this chapter. Huge thanks to **Ijustwokeup** for once again beta-ing my work. Also a thanks goes out to **gue22** for helping me with the mature scene.

* * *

><p>Eating his lunch with his newfound friends, Gohan, was contemplating his visit to Bulma earlier that morning. It had taken a week's worth of contemplation before he had decided to approach and take the scientist up on her offer to help. He had the power and ability to make a positive difference—was there any better way to honour the sacrifice of both his father and Hercule?<p>

_Bound tightly by Cell's energy, Gohan felt himself unable to exert enough power to break free. If he hadn't been so stupid, so cocky, they wouldn't be in this position right now!_

_Floating above him, Cell grinned in triumph, "It's over Gohan. Like that, even an ant could kill you. You're not even worth my time anymore."_

_The android briefly paused, observing the nearby scenery. Finding a large piece of boulder, he threw it into the air high above the half-Saiyan before blasting it into smaller, sharp segments. _

_As a sadistic grin grew on his face, Cell relished in his victory, "Your death is certain. If I'm lucky, it'll be slow and painful," he shrugged casually, "But if you're lucky the first impact will crush your skull."_

_With a small wave, the android took to the air, finding a new target for his amusement. On the ground, Gohan watched as his death approaching, his energy and muscles completely restrained. He closed his eyes, painfully aware of his failure._

_He was so pathetic. Cell didn't even think to care enough to finish him off with his own hands—_

"Gohan!" Videl called out, snapping him out of his trip down memory lane. Waving a worried hand in front of his face, she asked him, "Everything ok? You look really serious right now."

"Uh yeah, sorry about that," he replied sheepishly before rubbing the back of his neck, "I was just thinking."

"About what?" Erasa asked questioningly, shamelessly taking the opportunity to shimmy closer to Gohan.

Sharpener put down his sandwich with a good-natured laugh, "He was probably thinking about what he's going to have for dinner. "

"No he wasn't!" the female blonde defended Gohan instantly. Sticking out her tongue out briefly at the other blonde, Erasa turned to Gohan, "You weren't thinking about food where you?"

Not wanting to reveal what he was really thinking about, Gohan pretended to be sheepish, "Actually… I kinda was."

His reply made Sharpener laugh harder before slapping Gohan's back good naturedly. Erasa frowned, slightly put out that she had been wrong. Videl however, hadn't been fooled that easily. Yeah right. _Gohan does enjoy food, but that look on his face… It was something important._

She didn't push the issue though. She understood that sometimes there were things better left private. But there was something else about Gohan she wasn't going to leave alone. It had been nagging at her for a few days now; she had demonstrated considerable restraint by not interrogating him in front of her friends. She just needed to catch him alone when he couldn't weasel his way out. _The 439 mountain area is 5 hours out! Something is very wrong with his story._

"So did you hear about the Black Demon again?" Erasa asked excitedly, snapping Videl back to the conversation.

Sharpener frowned slightly, disapproving of her enthusiasm over the topic, "So another few criminals turned up barely alive in front of the station again?"

"Yeah, they confessed to attempting a robbery and everything," the female blonde responded, obviously happy the streets were somewhat safer at night.

Gohan frowned, disagreeing with the Black Demon's excessive use of force, "They've been hospitalized for long-term care haven't they? I can't imagine any robber deserving that."

Sharpener nodded slightly in agreement. It was nice that the nights were somewhat safer, but some of the Black Demon's more recent victims had been maimed for life. Admittedly some of the crooks deserved it, like the attempted rapists, but sometimes people were driven to desperate means by desperate times. The Black Demon was merciless regardless.

"Whether they deserve it or not is not the point," Videl countered, surprising the other three. Except for Gohan, none of them had an idea what her opinion on the matter was, "There's no question that it's limiting future crimes."

Erasa simply looked confused at the statement while the two boys were contemplative. A moment later Gohan spoke up, "I don't think the ends justify the means in this case."

The female fighter was about to argue, but Sharpener beat her to the punch, "I don't know Gohan. The injuries may be a bit much, but you don't know what it's like to live in the neighbourhoods the Black Demon appears in. They've gotten a lot better recently."

Gohan shook his head, his demeanour unusually serious, "I still don't like it. There has to be a better way."

"There probably is," the blonde responded, shrugging his shoulders, "But right now we have the Black Demon. And it's helping."

"Sometimes force is the only thing people understand," Videl explained to Gohan. Noticing his obvious disagreement, she continued, "That or fear."

Unable to withhold her irritation any longer, Erasa burst out, "We're having lunch here, not philosophy class!"

She elicited three mumbled 'sorry's' from her friends before she took a deep breath and continued, "Let's just talk about something else."

Wanting to quickly appease the blonde, Gohan tried to think of a new topic. Looking around for inspiration, he spotted something interesting sitting beside Videl's lunch box.

Pointing it out, he asked, "Is that a Yo-Yo, Videl?"

The girl's expression flickered for a moment. Both blondes gave her a knowing look, but by then Videl had a small smile back on her face, "Yeah. It was a present from my dad."

"Oh, sorry," Gohan apologized, "I didn't realize."

"Don't worry about it," the fighter's smile softened, "Want to give it a try?"

While Gohan nodded, Sharpener watched on in disbelief. Videl was often a very reserved individual, her emotional barriers preventing her from connecting to others easily. Here she was enjoying her time with someone relatively new to her life. Quashing his unreasonable jealousy, Sharpener shook his head; Videl wasn't his and she could only benefit from another friend. It was no one's fault his feelings for the fighter ran deeper than the others knew.

Erasa however, was oblivious to the hidden significance of Videl's gesture. Instead, she huffed out in annoyance, "You never let me try that Yo-Yo before. I've asked a few times too!"

"It's because you'd probably drop it, or lose it somehow!" Sharpener laughed, trying to distract himself from his inner turmoil.

"I would not!" exclaimed the female indignantly.

The others laughed heartily before the lunch bell cut them short. Getting up reluctantly, the four made their way back inside.

Sighing, Videl commented, "That lunch went by so fast."

Gohan couldn't help but agree. _But I don't remember the last time I enjoyed myself this much. I'm glad I ended up going to school._

.

At the end of the day, Gohan was putting his textbooks back into his locker, having long covered the material at home. Closing his locker door, he noticed Erasa approaching him with a peculiar look on her face.

"Hey Erasa! What's up?" he asked cheerily.

The blonde's demeanour was much shier than normal—she acted like a regular person, "I was actually hoping to ask you something."

"Sure, is everything ok?" Gohan asked worriedly. His friend's unusual demeanour hadn't completely escaped him.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you'd be cool to hang out this Saturday, maybe catch a movie you know? Get to know each other better?" Erasa asked in an even tone.

Gohan was slightly befuddled by her question, "Yeah of course. Why wouldn't I want to get to know you better?"

"Great!" Erasa exclaimed, her cheery look returning instantly. With a giddy bounce and a clap of her hands, she pecked Gohan lightly on the cheek, "It's a date! I'll give you a call tonight!"

As the blonde scampered off, the half-Saiyan was frozen in shock. _Wha—huh? Did she just say a date?_

"Crap, crap, crap, crap," with every repetition, Gohan lightly banged his head against the locker. Unfortunately lightly for him, it still dented the door. He moaned softly, "I don't know the first thing about dating."

Little did he know, his next headache was only a few steps away from him, watching with mild amusement at his predicament. Videl's stomach churned uncomfortably when Erasa had asked Gohan out, but the feeling quickly subsided when she saw his reaction. _He's such a dummy._ She shook her head. _Don't forget why you're here, Videl. Something is off about his story and it's time you found out why._

"Hey Gohan," Videl called out before his locker door was damaged beyond use.

Surprised, the teen sprang straight up, noticing her, "Videl! How's it going?"

"Better than with you," she replied, indicating his dented locker door with her head. _Wow he's got a skull of steel._

"Uh…" Gohan rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, "I just kind of got blind-sided."

Videl smiled, "Erasa does that a lot. So, figured out what you're going to do for your date?"

Gohan visibly slumped before bemoaning, "I've never been on a date before. I have no idea what I'm supposed to do."

"Don't worry about it, Erasa knows what she wants. You'll do fine," the female assured. Her desire to help was purely an attempt to butter him up. She swore.

"I hope so," Gohan sighed before standing up slowly, "Did you want something?"

After a brief pause, he added jokingly, "Did you want a date too?"

"No!" Videl exclaimed in her usual gruff manner. The male however was too caught up in his dilemma to properly notice her slight blush.

"Good. I'd probably botch it up," he replied with a self-depreciating tone. Curious, Gohan asked, "Why are you here then Videl?"

_Get a hold of yourself Videl!_ She could steel her emotions when she needed to be cold. Finding her inner core, she gathered her resolve. With an authoritative air, Videl poked Gohan viciously in the chest, pushing him against some lockers.

"You're going to tell me how you travel 1000 miles to and from school everyday," she commanded.

"Uh, uh, uh… what are you talking about Videl?" Gohan stalled, stammering in his panic. _Think Gohan, think!_

"I mean, I looked up the 439 Mountain Area, it's 500 miles away!" putting her hands on her hips, Videl continued, "Did you really expect us to believe you travel that far everyday? I really don't like being lied to you know."

"I uhh…." _Bingo!_ "I've got a new prototype hoverjet."

Videl quirked an interested eyebrow, "Oh really!"

"Oh yeah! Bulma gave it to me as a birthday gift!" Gohan quickly explained, glad he had come up with a plausible explanation.

Videl on the other hand was flabbergasted, "You know **the** Bulma Briefs on a first name basis?"

"Oh yeah, look at the time!" the male feigned a look at his wrist, before dashing off, "I promised I'd meet her after school! I'll catch you tomorrow Videl!"

Too shocked at first with her discovery, the female fighter just watched Gohan disappear around the corner. A moment later, a mental picture clicked into her mind. Gohan wasn't even wearing a watch! _Grrr… that Gohan is asking for a world of pain._

Observing the nearly empty hall, Videl smirked. _I'll figure you out Gohan Son. Just you wait._

.

Ten minutes later, a slightly calmer half-Saiyan touched down at Capsule Corps. Making his way inside, Gohan looked for Bulma, in hopes that she had the solution to his hero problem. Seeing her inside her private workroom, he gave a soft knock at the door.

"Hi Bulma," Gohan greeted, slightly nervous.

"So kiddo, how did school go?" Bulma asked cheerful, looking up from her worktable.

"It went well, there's this girl and-" he began, not sure how to explain his situation.

"A girl you met at school?" Bulma shrieked ecstatic. She jumped up and gave Gohan a big hug, "Tell me all about her!"

"Uh, huh? I've met a few girls at school," the half-Saiyan stated slightly confused, scratching the back of his head.

"Which girl?" Bulma smirked before giving Gohan a light smack, "How many girls do you have? You dog, you."

Finally cluing in, Gohan backed up against the wall waving his hands in front of him, "No, no. It's not like that! I'm only going on a date with one of them!"

"So she's the one you wanted to tell me about?" the scientist assumed, "Need advice for your date?"

Gohan shook his head in disagreement, "I wasn't going to mention her actually. I just came here to pick up my hero costume."

Bulma looked slightly sad for a moment before a light-bulb went off over her head. She reached down and she picked up a watch off the workshop table, "This superhero costume?"

The half Saiyan's eyes bulged and his jaw dropped, "Does that do what I think it does?"

"Try it on," Bulma grinned at his obvious enthusiasm.

Eagerly reaching forward, Gohan relieved the blue-haired scientist of the watch. Studying the design carefully, the teen was pleased with what he saw. He happily clasped the watch over his wrist after his brief examination. Taking a deep breath, the half-Saiyan stood in front of the mirror before pressing the big red button on the side of the watch.

"_Hello sexy,"_ a robotic, yet definitely feminine voice spoke out.

Gohan face-planted as Bulma laughed loudly. Once he got up, she explained with a chuckle, "I thought it'd be funny to give it a female voice."

"Was that greeting really necessary?" Gohan demanded, a little spittle flying in all directions, illustrating his clear indignation.

"Yes," Bulma replied, seeing his expression before adding, "Don't worry you just toggled the silent function."

"So, the big red button isn't to make my costume appear?" Gohan asked the scientist incredulously.

"Heh, maybe I should have swapped the buttons in hindsight," she admitted, somewhat sheepish, "The smaller green button makes your costume appear."

"Oh really?" Gohan deadpanned, obviously less amused with the situation.

Quick to anger, Bulma placed her hands on her hips in a disapproving fashion. Noticing the potential danger of his sarcasm, Gohan quickly pressed the small green button. A split second later, a dark violet gi materialized, replacing his clothes which had just vanished. Pleasantly surprised, the half-Saiyan realized it was larger version of the gi Piccolo had given him, cape and all.

Quite satisfied with the outfit, he turned to thank his friend when he noticed she had turned her head and was blushing slightly.

"What's wrong Bulma?" he asked curiously.

"There's just some bugs that need to be worked around," she explained, cautiously turning back around before sighing in relief.

Gohan scratched his head, "We need to figure out something for my head, but I wouldn't really call that a bug."

"There is a… uh, a small time lag, between when your clothes disappear and your new ones appear," Bulma explained, motioning awkwardly at the teen's body.

"What is that supposed to—YIKES!" Gohan exclaimed, covering his clothed crotch. He hesitantly followed up with a question, "Did you uh?..."

Bulma smirked, nodding in response to his question, "You know Gohan, I helped Chi-Chi raise you. It's nothing I haven't seen before."

Trying to avoid thinking of all the implications, Gohan returned his attention to a small concern of his, "I still need something for my head."

"I've actually been giving that quite a bit of thought," the scientist replied, taking on a more serious demeanour, "Actually your name gave me a great idea."

"You mean the Golden Blur?" the teen asked curious.

Bulma nodded, "You move fast enough that you can't be seen by most people or appear as a blur. I was wondering if you could move your head just fast enough to blur it. Power up then slowly move your head slightly side to side and speed it up. If you do it right, regular people should only see a blur. I'll tell you what a good speed is."

"Are you sure this is going to work Bulma?" Gohan asked. Although sceptical, he began to move his head side to side, slowly obscuring his facial features beyond recognition.

"Better… better… there!" the female exclaimed, still able to see the teen, but completely unable establish anything above the shoulders but a wide blur. Admittedly, it gave her the impression Gohan's head was slightly wider than it was, but he appeared humanoid with a blur for a face.

"Uh Bulma, you forgot to account for something," the teen stopped vibrating his head. He scratched the back of his neck nervously.

She sighed at his meek demeanour; it was unbefitting of him, "What is it Gohan?"

"The Doppler Effect. You sounded a bit funny when your voice kept oscillating pitches like that," Gohan explained, the scientist in him taking over, "Actually, I imagine I'd sound a bit funny too if I tried to talk doing that."

Bulma didn't see the problem. In fact it was perfect and she told him so, "It'd disguise your voice too. If you can put up with slightly distorted hearing, your vision can easily compensate. I'm sure with enough practice you'd get used to it."

"I guess that does make some sense," Gohan reluctantly agreed, acknowledging the merit in her argument. But then something occurred to him, "How would I practice? You're the only one who knows about me, but would see my features blur properly."

"Well, obviously you need to go save some people hero!" Bulma explained, while shooing Gohan out the front door, "You'll have lots of leeway. With your speed and regular human's vision, as long as you go even a little fast, your face should blur. Worst case scenario, you go a little too fast and you appear headless."

"Because people would react well to being saved by a headless body," he muttered sarcastically, careful to keep the comment under his breath. He slowly took to the air, thankful, but not completely happy, with Bulma's help.

"Hold up Gohan! I forgot to tell you something!" the scientist cried out, stopping him before he left out the window.

"What is it Bulma?" he asked.

"You never wondered why there needed to be a silence function to begin with?" Bulma demanded, slightly disappointed before continuing, "I've programmed the watch to feed you police reports. It automatically scans their system and if anything serious like that bank robbery occurs, the watch will let you know."

"That's amazing!" Gohan replied ecstatic, but his energy lowered as he thought, "But I want to help whenever and whoever I can."

"Who do you take me for?" Bulma smirked, before explaining, "In silent mode you'll get a small vibration for big things. But in normal mode, the watch will let you know about anything. I figured when you told Chi-Chi, you didn't want her to know you were missing school for things the police could handle on their own."

"Thanks Bulma, this is amazing!" the excited demi-Saiyan gave her a large huge.

He ignored her mutter, "Now he hugs me."

After breaking the hug, Bulma indicated to the window Gohan had been leaving through earlier, "Come on Blur, let's see what you can do!"

"Ay ay ma'am!" the male mocked a salute, before ducking a playful swipe at his head. He ran quickly towards the open window before launching himself into the air. He gave a small wave over his shoulder, "Thanks again Bulma!"

Watching Gohan fly off, the female scientist remembered something at the last moment and called out, "I'll have a fix for the brief nudity tomorrow! Drop by for it!"

The half-Saiyan almost fell out of the air, but caught himself just in time. He'd already been embarrassed enough today.

.

Roughly an hour later, a young woman was fighting for her life. She had been walking home through a seedy part of town when a large man had pulled her into the alleyway. Suddenly thrown to the ground, her nose was assaulted by the fowl stench the in air. She wretched slightly before she stood up, intent on getting away. Trying to escape, the woman ran past the man, only to be thrown back onto the floor. Repeatedly.

Blood pounding in her ears, the woman continued to desperately try for escape from the darkening alley. The adrenaline surging through her bloodstream did nothing to dampen the terror. In fact, it only added on to **his** overwhelming presence in the alley. Every breath he took, every hand he swung, and every lecherous grin he smiled: her heightened senses perceived everything, making his large frame all the more imposing.

Finally exhausted and short on breath, the woman collapsed against the wall, unable to push past the man to her freedom. The exit taunted her from but only a few meters away. A mantra of _Oh god no, oh god no, oh god no,_ repeated through her mind as she watched the horrid man smile in victory.

"Come on now sweetheart, what do you expect when you wear something like **that **in a place like this?" the man intoned, slowly walking towards the cowering woman. He took in her torn clothes, focusing on her exposed skin, before trapping her against the back alley wall.

"Please, just get away from me," the woman's voice had already cracked earlier. They were in a relatively isolated part of town and no one had heard her screams. She'd already given up hope of help arriving and at this point just wanted the pain to stop, "Please…"

The man paused, obviously relishing his dominant position, "Depends what you have to offer."

He gave her a leery look over as his intent was obvious. The woman shuddered, wishing herself anywhere but here. Even being with her wretched ex-boyfriend was better than this. She was under no false-pretense that she would escape—still, she would make sure he regretted thinking of her as an easy target.

"Ok, I'll do what you want," it was as if the spirit had left her body. She allowed her voice to drop to a soft monotone, "Just don't hurt me."

The sadistic grin on the man's face widened. He slowly unzipped his pants before pulling them down. A bout of nausea hit the woman, both from the sight to come and the horrid smell emanating from his crotch. Shoving his pants to just below his groin, he whipped his rigid member out. It seemed to possess a mind of its own, flexing and pulsing irregularly, beckoning the woman forwards.

"Suck it bitch," he commanded.

The woman nearly blanched. She suppressed her rising disgust along with the bile in her throat with sheer force of will. Fooling her tormentor with a meek demeanour, she took him into her mouth, nearly gagging at his flavour, and cupped his scrotum with her free hand.

The moment he relaxed into her mouth, she revolted. She bit down with as much force as she could muster and gouged him with her nails with all her strength. Instantly, the man roared before sending her flying backwards with a furious backhand. Grabbing his mutilated genital region, he attempted to stem the flow of blood, but was only partially successful. Raising a bloody hand, the man gestured at the woman lying on the floor.

"You bitch!" the man screamed in a mixture of rage and agony. She smirked from the floor, obviously injured, but feeling a small victory in her act of vengeance. Spitting the man's blood from her mouth, the woman inspected the blood beneath her nails as well. It'd gone better than she had expected.

"Bitch, you fucked with the wrong guy," the man approached aggressively, "No one does that kind of shit to me and lives."

Her brief and bitter sweet victory quickly morphed back into a swirl of heavy emotion: horror, fear, anger, and worst of all, self-loathing. _No, this fucker isn't going to hear me scream. _

She deadened herself, numbing her body and mind for what was to come. The woman didn't move, her remaining fight consumed by her previous actions. Closing her eyes, the woman raised her arms over her head in a half-hearted attempt to defend herself, with no hope of rescue.

"What the fuck?" the man's voice drew her attention back, her eyes widening in surprise at what she saw. His arm was raised high in the air, only he couldn't bring it down. A man was gripping her assailant's arm in a vice-like grip, stopping its movement completely. A glowing, headless man.

If she could have screamed the woman would have. Instead, she panicked and fell back onto her already injured side, causing her to wince in pain. Noticing, Gohan slowed his head vibrations slightly.

"Sorry about that, do you see me now?" he inquired softly, unwilling to scare the woman any more. He managed to keep the anger from his voice, for her sake—just barely.

She nodded mutely. Despite the odd vibration of his voice, his concern was still clear; the presence of a head helped calm her somewhat, despite his blurred features. A rush of emotion she thought she'd never feel again overwhelmed her; she fought the urge to cry for her newfound relief and hope, unwilling to show her attacker any weakness. Her tormentor however, had no such reservations displaying his emotions and thus, roared in anger.

"I don't know what the fuck you are, but—" his tirade was cut short by a sharp pinch of pain at the back of his neck. His mouth foamed slightly as he collapsed in an undignified heap.

Watching her attacker fall limp and slam into the cement ground, the woman found herself paralyzed, unable to move as the golden figure approached her. When the man raised an arm, she flinched and shut her eyes instinctively. A moment later, she felt a warm cloth drape itself over her shoulders. Looking up, it was if the faceless man was examining her carefully, despite his lack of eyes. The woman was both surprised and thankful to find herself draped in his cloak.

"You looked cold," he explained, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck. For a brief moment she caught a glimpse of his face, "Oops."

Obviously noticing, the golden man's face obscured from view almost immediately. Seeing his features had been enough to restore some semblance of sanity to the woman's chaotic mind. For that brief moment, his genuine voice had been heard as well.

"What's your name?" her saviour asked, his voice retaking its foreign inflections. The sincere gentleness remained despite the change however.

"Soil, Soil Laen," she replied, trying to stand up. To her frustration, her arms and legs were shaking and did not respond to her demands. When she stumbled, the golden man instantly grabbed her arm in support. His soft yet firm grip and his reluctance to touch her didn't escape Soil's notice.

"Thank you, for everything," she looked up at his blur of a face, "What do I call you?"

A nervous distorted laugh sounded throughout the alley, "Uh, well, I suppose the media calls me the Golden Blur."

"Thank you… for being real," the woman whispered quietly as tears began to flow freely and unbidden down her face. Of all emotions, embarrassment overwhelmed Soil, confusing her, only adding to her distress.

Gohan pretended he didn't hear or see her pain, allowing her to grieve silently. He had no idea how to properly comfort the woman.

A few minutes later, feeling some of her energy return, Soil slowly walked over to the collapsed man on the floor. Fuelling all her rage, agony, and sorrow into her foot, she readied herself to deliver a strong kick to his head. A gentle hand grasped her hand.

"Don't do it," her saviour gently begged.

"You don't understand, all the things, I…" she tried to convey her tumultuous emotions in words, ultimately unsuccessful.

"No I don't, but if you remind me about what he almost did, I might not be able to restrain myself any longer," he replied. Only then did she notice the stiff hand at his side; it was such a stark contrast to the gentle hand reassuring her now. It was trembling, with ugly bulging veins randomly returning from tense muscles. There was also a steady drip of blood from his fist, forming a small pool of blood on the floor: his nails had obviously pierced his palm in several locations.

Even without seeing his face, she could suddenly feel his anger emanating off him in waves. His golden aura took on a sudden malicious feel, almost bringing Soil to her knees. The man in front of her was on a personal precipice, almost ready to commit murder on her behalf. A complete stranger. She couldn't let her saviour, her light, diminish himself even the slightest.

The woman relaxed her muscles slightly, though still unable to calm herself, "I'm not doing this for him you know. It's for you."

"Thank you," again, despite the strangeness of his voice, Soil could somehow still feel his relief and thankfulness. Why would he be thanking her?

"Do you have a cell phone?" he asked.

Nodding her head slightly in response, she handed the phone to him. He shook his head in an obvious sad manner, his face appearing once more, and motioned for her to call the police. With the police on the way, the woman hung up, looking at her mysterious saviour.

"Please don't leave me," she whispered, the adrenaline rush ebbing. She felt her body begin to slowly tremor.

"Didn't plan on it," his voice warmed her chilled body as a wave of relief crashed down upon her yet again.

How could someone experience such depravity and humanity within only a few moments of each other? Soil couldn't understand, but in his calming presence, it didn't matter. They talked about mundane things, simple things, anything to occupy her mind. In any other situation she would have been content. For now, she would settle for pleasantly numb.

Minutes later, the sound of sirens filled the air. Hearing them grow in intensity, both the Golden Blur and Soil stood up to prepare for the police's arrival. A second later, as police approached the entrance to the alley, Soil felt her saviour disappear in a small gust of wind. She looked around briefly, before settling her gaze on the approaching and concerned officer.

She whispered softly to the air, "Thank you."

.

Later that night, in the same area, screams echoed throughout another alleyway. Taking in the situation below, the Black Demon narrowed its eyes before leaping off the fire escape. With an ominous _Thump!_ the Black Demon landed behind the two assailants. Everyone else in the alley froze stiff in response to the sound. Slowly and hesitantly, both would-be-muggers turned around before blanching at what they saw.

Before either could even make a move, the Black Demon struck at the man's arm holding on to the woman. The arm snapped, giving everyone the impression the man possessed a reverse-elbow. Screaming in horror, the man stared at his arm, before tumbling backwards. Unable to properly break his fall, the arm snapped further emitting a sickening _Crack!_

Horrified, the man looked at the mangled remains of his arm, the pain not yet registering. With a sudden wave of nausea, the man felt his dinner forcing its way up his gullet. He tried to withhold the bile with a stifled gurgle, but that was when the pain set all his nerves on fire. Overwhelmed, the last thing the man remembered was falling face first into a pool of his vomit.

The other criminal turned tail to run in an attempt to save himself. Stepping dispassionately over the other disgustingly dirty and crippled criminal, the Black Demon reach down to its belt and grabbed something in its hand. With a cold and calculated motion, the Demon threw the heavy weight with merciless precision. Straight as an arrow, the blunt force struck the fleeing mugger in the back, sending him careening into the nearby wall face-first. Try as he might, the criminal couldn't stop the grinding of his face across the bricks as he slid down the wall. Clawing desperately at the wall, the man realized why he couldn't stop his descent—he no longer feel his legs.

Grabbing the returning weapon out of the air, the Black Demon placed it back in its proper belt location. Taking in the two incapacitated criminals and cowering women, the Black Demon prepared to leave the scene. It took a few steps towards the end of the alley before the woman moved.

_Click!_ The Demon recognized the sound; it was reminiscent of a gun being cocked. Curious, the Demon paused and cocked its head.

"Someone wants you dead," the supposed victim stated before commanding, "Turn around."

Miss Lavender was good at what she did.

* * *

><p>AN: I apologize once again for the late update, but I hope it was worth it! Like I said, I'm not used to writing darker themes though I would like to, so let me know what you think, please review!<p> 


	4. Meetings and Dates

AN: I apologize for the delay, but I hope it was worth the wait. I've considered renaming the fic to Heroic Satan as opposed to Heroic Hercule. Let me know what you think of the chapter and potential chapter change! And thanks again to Ijustwokeup for a great beta job on this chapter.

Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ. This fic is rated M.

* * *

><p>The following morning, the Golden blur made another appearance. A would-be-purse snatcher was left, much to his embarrassment, hogtied by his own shirt and pants which left him immobilized outside the local precinct. Meanwhile, Gohan had just arrived at school and burst through the classroom door as the students began to settle down.<p>

"I'm sorry for being late sir," he apologized, bowing slightly at Mr. Alpha. Erasa beamed at his politeness while Sharpener snorted in amusement.

"No problem son, just don't be late again," the instructor replied, already favouring the stellar student for both his professional attitude and dedication to his studies.

His response caused a few murmurs of dissent and of teacher's pet to echo throughout the room.

Mr. Alpha silenced the few disgruntled students with a glance, before gesturing to Gohan, "Take your seat, we're about to begin."

Slightly flushed at being the center of attention, the student rushed up the steps to take his usual seat beside Erasa. The bubbly blonde greeted him with a wide smile while Sharpener merely raised his hand in acknowledgement. Looking around, Gohan noticed that Videl was missing.

"Where's Videl today?" he asked Erasa, keeping his voice low.

Having already asked the female blonde the same question only minutes earlier, Sharpener only half-paid attention to their conversation. Surprising to most, he was actually quite dedicated to his studies, though he often didn't do as well as he'd hoped.

Erasa on the other hand was more than willing to spare Gohan her full attention. In her quiet whisper, she replied, "When I dropped by her house this morning, her mom said she wasn't feeling well."

Unfortunately for her, her quiet whisper was the equivalent of anyone else's regular speech. A small tick appeared above Mr. Alpha's head as he cast his sights up the rows at the blonde. Gohan noticed their teacher's ire and made a shushing gesture before he pointed to the front of the class. Erasa noticed with a small 'Eeep!' while the teacher nodded in approval.

Continuing his lecture, the Mr. Alpha didn't notice Gohan whisper back to Erasa, "I hope she feels better soon."

"She was supposed to help me get ready for our date tomorrow," Erasa pouted her displeasure. A moment later she added as an afterthought, "Maybe she she'll feel better tomorrow? I'd really love it if she could still help…" She placed a finger against her mouth, her worry clearly showing.

Gohan was surprised at the slight selfishness in her words. He looked at her funny, while she continued to lose herself in thought. It wasn't long until Sharpener's snort snapped him out of it.

Apparently the blonde male had been listening in more than Gohan thought. He explained, "Erasa just doesn't know how to express herself properly. She's actually really worried for Videl. It's just easier for her to make it about her instead of having to actively worry about her friend."

Taking a second look, the half-Saiyan noted her genuine concern, hidden beneath the cute puzzled look on her face. He smiled gently before giving Erasa a light nudge.

"You're missing out on the lecture," he chided softly, keeping his eyes on Mr. Alpha. Despite covering the material before, Gohan wished to show his teacher proper respect for his station.

Erasa smiled, placing a hand on his softly in thanks. She quickly returned her focus to the front and attempted to learn from the lecture. Recently, probably due to Gohan's influence, she had been motivated to perform better in school. Gohan shot her a brief smile and she lowered her hand.

Intrigued, Sharpener watched the interaction between the two. _Well, that was a warm and fuzzy moment. __**Friendly **__too... I wonder how their date will go._

The rest of the school day passed without much event for Gohan, until the very end of school. With a quick excited hug, Erasa quickly squealed out the details for their date the next day. Nervous and completely caught off guard, he tried to mentally keep up and commit all the details to memory. By the time he was calm enough to take notice of his surroundings, the blonde had already left, excited about preparing for their date.

.

The Saturday turned out to be a bright and sunny day, the perfect weather for a first date. Unfortunately for Gohan, the weather did nothing to calm his nerves. It would be his first date ever and he hadn't the slightest clue as to what to do. Thankfully, despite his mother's crazy interjections, the teen had a general idea, courtesy of Bulma.

He was expected to take her out somewhere to talk, possibly a pastry shop or ice cream parlour and then follow up with something fun and casual, perhaps a movie. Gohan felt better knowing the expected structure of his date. Now fully versed in all the shops and attractions near Central Golden Park, a credit to his studious research the night before, he was waiting anxiously for Erasa's arrival, sweating bullets.

"Hey Gohan!" called an excited shout from behind him.

The half-Saiyan nearly jumped out of his clothes; despite his tense alertness, Erasa had startled the bejeebus out of him. Turning around, he gave his friend a tentative wave, taking in her appearance. From a distance he could make out her white patterned skirt, yellow flowery top, and loose pair of beige flats. As she approached, Gohan noticed a skillful touch of mascara, accentuating her naturally long lashes, and a delicate application of rusty-salmon eyeshadow, giving her baby blues a greater pop—or he would have, had he been knowledgeable of such things.

Also dressed up for the occasion, he was glad he listened to Bulma's advice while ignoring his mother's. Gohan sported a fitted blue dress shirt, unbuttoned at the top, a pair of loose khakis tapered near the bottom, and a pair of nice leather shoes, buffed to shine throughout. His mother had squealed, gibbering on about grandbabies as he left. Her semi freak-out had done wonders for his nerves.

"Uh, hi Erasa," Gohan greeted as she approached. _Is that lipstick and blush she's wearing?_ He wasn't completely oblivious when it came to females and their cosmetics. Just mostly.

The blonde paused a step or two away from him, critically eyeing him from head-to-toe. She performed her examination with a stern expression on her face, which could easily be confused with a slight pout. It would be hard for any observer to understand what she was thinking at that very moment.

Almost already a nervous wreck, Gohan was only a few seconds away from snapping.

She stared intently at his legs. _Three._

She examined his chest. _Two._

She took in his whole appearance. _On—_

Before Gohan could freak out, Erasa let out a second squeal before leaping at him with her arms wide open, bosom first. The moment her chest impacted his, she curled her arms into a tight hug. Her victim was too confused by her reaction to meltdown.

"Uh, huh?" the teen managed to splutter out in a question. His body was in the tricky process of balancing the available blood supply. Unfortunately his brain was flustered, his face was flushed, and his other head was growing. Gohan simply didn't have enough blood to support both—heads that is.

"You look so handsome!" the blonde explained, her face looking up from where it had attempted to burrow its way into his chest. "You're so much better dressed than you normally are!" Catching her implied insult with unusual mental acuity, she quickly added, "Not that you dress bad normally."

"Uh thanks," Gohan replied, still too flustered to catch her verbal misstep. The constant pressure of her chest against his was impairing his cognitive abilities. "You look really great too. Prettier than normal actually."

Erasa beamed at his praise and explained her getup, "I actually got help from Videl with this. She doesn't have the greatest fashion sense, but her martial arts training have given her the steadiest hands I know!" She slipped smoothly out of the embrace to intertwine her hand with his, much to the half-Saiyan's relief.

"Oh, how is she?" the other teen replied, his initial discomfort being replaced by worry for his friend's absence the day before.

"Well, she swore she was feeling better…" the female nibbled her lips worriedly, "But knowing her she was just pretending…"

"If she'd really needed help she'd ask, right?" Gohan tried to suggest, though it came across as a question.

Erasa contemplated her visit to Videl earlier that morning.

"_Hi Videl, feeling better today?" Erasa asked as she walked into the fighter's bedroom, makeup bag in tow. Mrs. Satan had insisted that Videl had slept enough the previous day and needed the wakeup call._

_Surprised, the blonde found Videl sitting, staring out at space, already awake. She tried to get her friend's attention by waving her hand in front of the spaced-out teen. It took a few moments of cajoling and waving before Videl finally came to._

"_Uh, sorry about that Erasa, what's up?" she asked, blinking as though waking from a sleep._

"_Well, I was hoping if you were feeling better, you'd help me get ready for my big date!" the blonde explained, still worried about her friend._

_Videl frowned slightly, but quickly noticed the other teen's pout and pasted a smile on her face. "Sure I'd love to help!"_

"_Really?" Erasa asked hopefully, brushing away her skepticism for the sake of her date._

"_Yeah, sure thing."_

Dislodging the memory with a small shake of her head, Erasa replied to Gohan's query, "Uh, I'm not sure, but she's a tough girl. She'll be back to school on Monday. She said so herself."

The boy sighed in reply, obviously expecting as much. Trying to lighten the mood, he decided to put his meticulous plan into action, "How about we go to an ice cream parlour?"

"Sure," Erasa's demeanour instantly rebounded to her usual perky self. "I'm not exactly sure where, but there's a few around here."

"Actually, I know exactly where they are," Gohan replied, rubbing the back of his neck in a show of humility, "I kind of memorized the local hot spots last night."

The blonde was shocked at first, pausing in step before launching her bosom towards the other teen for another hug. "You're so thoughtful! It's adorable!" she exclaimed, clamping her arms around Gohan for a second tight embrace, only seconds after the first.

Feeling a sudden surge in his pants, Gohan panicked. The press of her exposed thighs against his brought her lower body dangerously close to his growing bulge. "Uh thanks, I guess. We should keep going, it's just around the corner." He desperately pried himself out of her hug, careful not to hurt her.

Erasa only noticed his attempts to escape and although physically unharmed, took his actions personally. With a small pout, she let go and replied with a simple, "Fine." She took his hand and followed his lead as he explained the merits of his chosen ice cream parlour.

Unsure of her sudden change in attitude, Gohan rambled on in order to fill the silence. When they arrived at the parlour, he opened the door for her, careful to be the perfect gentleman. He even pulled out her seat for her as they sat down with their orders, much to the approval of the store owner and Erasa. At his gracious gesture and nervous smile, she simply couldn't stay miffed at him. She let out a small sigh, before smiling and resetting the date within her mind.

"So, you've mentioned your little brother and mom. Could you tell me more about them?" the blonde opened, honestly curious about his life.

Having just inhaled a rude amount of ice cream in one bite, Gohan was forced to hastily swallow before replying, "Well, my brother, Goten, is just a tiny whirlwind of energy. He's a lot like my father was, very innocent and naïve, but good natured." He smiled at the thought.

"Naïve, even by your standards?" Erasa asked, slightly surprised. She remembered enough to dance around the mention of Goku.

The half-Saiyan replied with an open laugh, finally relaxing a little, "Even when compared to me, yes. My mother on the other hand…" he continued to answer her second question, "Is… very strong-willed and can be quite frightening."

The blonde smiled at his discomfort speaking ill of his mother. It was also amusing how he winced at the finish, as though expecting a blow from out of the blue, "She can't be that bad, can she? I mean my parents can be strict sometimes, but they aren't that scary. Though then again…"

Gohan interrupted her thought with an empathetic shake of his head. "You have absolutely no idea, Erasa. My mother is just… well she rules the household with an iron pan."

"Don't you mean an iron fist?" she asked confused.

"I mean exactly what I said. When she's angry she wields a frying pan like no other," he explained before noticing her skepticism. In amusing and exaggerated motions, he began explaining the brutality in which is mother often disciplined family and close friends. Large arm flailing motions were completed with flying spittle and imaginary impacts, all for Erasa's benefit.

She giggled at first, finding his antics amusing. Her mirth grew into full blown laughter when she realized his explanation was serious, despite the slight pity she felt for him. Erasa continued to enjoy Gohan's presence, glad that he was finally opening up. They continued to talk about, family, friends, and surprisingly, school. Apparently when he talked about the material, it was that much more interesting.

Unfortunately for Erasa, she was quick to notice her growing comfort to his presence. There were no butterflies in her stomach. No rushing sensations when he looked at her. No emotional flare when he talked. Just a comfortable, friendly feeling. When she had first laid eyes on him, she had been looking for a new love interest, but she was already placing him in the friend zone! _Erasa, come on girl. He's cute, smart, and an all-around nice guy. The sparks need to fly!_

Despite her best intentions throughout the conversation, the spark she needed never formed. The chemistry simply wasn't there. As they finished their ice cream, the blonde began to panic internally. _He's such a great guy, I'd hate to lose him over this! I have to let him down easy._

Gohan completely oblivious to her inner turmoil thanked the store owners with a small bow. He turned back before gesturing out the door, "It's such a nice day outside Erasa. How about we go for a walk through the park?"

"Uh sure thing," she replied, trying to maintain an upbeat appearance as they walked out of the store. As they down the sidewalk, she couldn't take it anymore. _I might as well settle this now before things get too far._ She grabbed a fistful of the other teen's hair before pulling him into a kiss, testing the waters.

Gohan's eyes bugged out in surprise and confusion. _Wha—huh?_

With a very drawn out and reluctant sigh, Erasa relaxed off the balls of her feet. "Gohan… we need to talk."

Warning bells began go off in his head. That phrase sounded awfully familiar…

"_Gohan, whatever happens, be careful if she says 'we need to talk'. If a girl says that on a date, it's bad news," Bulma explained partway through her tutorial on dating. "If that happens you need to—"_

Why couldn't he remember the rest? As the warning bells continued to ring, he watched Erasa struggle to find the right words. Suddenly, a very sarcastic drawl drew both their attentions behind them.

"Well, looks like the lovers here are having a great day," Shredder intoned while his two cronies sniggered. "Looks like we're going to have to do something about that." In an instant, the three teens separated slightly before they began a menacing approach towards Gohan and Erasa.

Gohan instinctively took a protective step in front of Erasa. The warning bells within his mind had escalated into a full blown klaxon.

.

In a coolly lit room across town, two people walked through an open pair of dark oaken doors. Closing the heavy doors behind him, Xel Rohtul welcomed his guest with a gracious arm gesture to a chair before walking behind his desk himself. The two took their respective seats in anticipation for the appointment they had set earlier that morning.

"Thank you, , for taking the time to answer some questions for me, especially on such short notice," Soil Laen opened diplomatically, sitting across from across Golden Star City's most influential man. In her lap sat her notepad and pen, ready to write. On the luxurious desk before her sat her tape recorder, prepped to record. "You have quite a reputation for evading the press."

"Of course, I am required to communicate with the press on occasion, being who I am," the bald CEO intoned regally. With a small nod and a gracious hand gesture, he indicated at Soil. "If I must be honest, I was only interested because you were to be the reporter."

"Oh?" the female reporter quirked an eyebrow, "And why is that?"

"To have suffered such an ordeal only two days ago, but return to work with such vigour—it can only be described as phenomenal." The multi-billionaire waved her attempt at a protest before continuing in his smooth baritone voice, "It speaks to the strength of your character. I have always possessed a keen interest in meeting people of extraordinary value and thus, was more than willing to accept an interview conducted by you." As he spoke, his hands moved in smooth expressive emotions, before finally clasping together in front of him as he finished. Intertwining his fingers, the entrepreneur gave Soil a handsome smile.

Brushing off his compliments, Soil began her interview, intent on discovering some truths about the CEO and his company, "Sir, there have been complaints about neglect within certain districts of the city, leaving many citizens in poor living conditions."

"Not afraid diving right in, are we, miss Laen?" Xel Rohtul chuckled softly in amusement. His demeanour suddenly shifted into that of a true business professional, something Soil did not miss, "Unfortunately, my company's primary concern is future economic growth. Certain industries and locale are suboptimal, no subpar, for our needs and would be an inefficient use of our resources," leaning forward, the man continued, "Golden Industries is however committed to bettering our beloved city and thus has implemented and will continue to implement new initiative to aid those in need. Anything more and we would be replacing government entirely," he grinned at the slight joke, leaning back slightly.

"Would you be speaking about your Golden Scholarships?" Soil inquired, attempting to ignore the straightness of his teeth.

The bald man simply nodded in return, "That is but one example, we have many—"

"There have been assertions that the program is merely a disguised recruitment program for your company," the reporter interrupted, not at all intimidated in the presence of the powerful man.

"Admittedly, a high percentage of those winners eventually find their way into my corporation, but I hardly see the problem. Both the city and my company benefit from their flourishing potential as opposed to the other option: would you rather our rising stars leave to West City? Southwest City? It is in everyone's best interest for me to offer incentive for those talented individuals to stay," the man grinned at the woman's brash attitude and noticed his growing interest in her person. At this point in time perhaps he could learn more about her than he originally wanted to.

Scowling at his obviously well thought out reasoning, Soil attempted to throw him off track with an unrelated question, "What do you know of the Golden Blur? There have been people tying his presence to Golden Industries."

"His?" the CEO quirked an interested eyebrow. _At last, I can finally get a proper account of the incident_.

"This, Golden Blur," Soil explained with an exasperated hand gesture. She hoped she wasn't flushing like she had whenever the Blur was mentioned since the incident. The man was obviously toying with her and enjoying every word of it.

"I was unaware that this mysterious saviour, as you will, was even real. Yet alone male," noticing her subtle blush, Xel Rohtul grinned a soft smile. Adding a richer texture to his voice, he asked suggestively, "Interested in the man, I take it?"

Unusually flustered, the reporter retorted, "No way! He's way too young for me. He's just… such a good person."

"A young man then?" the CEO questioned, almost humming at the implications. Refocusing his attention on the reporter he saw her quickly regain her proverbial footing. _A shame, but I doubt I'll be able to get more information from her currently. _

Soil features adopted a determined look. She shook her head gently at his question, "Unfortunately, I came here for an exclusive interview with a hero of the city, not give out details of my—"

A sharp knock at the double doors cut her off. Xel Rohtul sat up straight, a frown making his displeasure obvious to the reporter. Another knock at the door a moment later.

The CEO sighed in annoyance, "If it wasn't important, all my employees know better than to interrupt one of my meetings," he gestured at the double doors questioningly, noticing Soil's short nod, he called out, "This had better be important."

Butler opened the double doors slowly, before gracefully entering the room. With a short bow at the bald leader, he spoke with a cultured air, "Sir, I am quite sorry to interrupt, but an incident has occurred and requires your immediate attention."

Soil paid close attention to the Xel Tohtul's frown, it deepened ever so slightly, "Can it not wait?" _He's not happy about the interruption as much as me._

Butler gave a small shake of his head, his face emotionless, "I'm afraid not sir, this is a most pressing matter."

"Very well," with a reluctant nod, the billionaire turned his attention back to Soil, "It appears that I have important matters to deal with. However I would be most appreciative of continuing this at a later date. Perhaps over dinner?" he shot the reporter a handsome smile.

_Is he making a move on me?_ Soil was shocked by the idea. Any men who'd spoken to her were often scared off by her condor and forcefulness. _Except the horrible man from a few days ago_… Unwilling to allow her mind to travel down that unwelcome path, she attempted to refocus her attention on the matter at hand.

"I would appreciate an opportunity to continue this interview at another time," she replied, ignoring the subtle implication. She could play ball. Gathering her things, she quickly made her way out the door before inclining her head slightly at the CEO, "I'll call later today to setup that interview."

"Looking forward to it," the bald man called out, smiling slightly at her retreating figure.

The moment Butler closed the doors behind her, all good humour immediately evaporated from the room, and in place, a serious demeanour settled across the room.

"What happened?" to anyone else the tone would have been curt, however to Butler it was merely a tone that showed Xel's impatience.

"Miss Lavender has failed in her task," the manservant replied simply before elaborating, "Her corpse has been located. What do you wish be done?"

Xel Rohtul steepled his fingers, deep in thought. Butler merely stood across the desk, still as a statue, familiar with the CEO's habits. After a few moments, the business man interrogated his informant, gathering all the information he could before formulating his action plan for the future.

With infinite patience, Butler responded to each question and eventually acted as a sounding board for his master's brainstorming process. Finally half an hour later, some semblance of a plan had been hatched out, leaving Xel Rohtul satisfied with the result.

"…Tomorrow, the Black Demon will be Golden City's most wanted man."

"Very good, sir."

.

_Two evenings ago…_

"Someone wants you dead," Miss Lavender stated before commanding, "Turn around."

The Black Demon slowly raised its hands above its masked head, presenting the appearance of surrender. The woman almost snorted out loud in derision. If the Demon was so easily subdued, she would not have been hired for the job.

Playing along, she pretended to believe in the Demon's compliance. Instead, she was ready to react at a moment's notice, playing with a second gun in its holster, "Very nice, but I need you to take it slow. Put your hands behind your head. Try anything and you eat a bullet – Teflon-coated for the armour you probably wear."

The masked vigilante paused mid-turn, obviously unhappy with the latest development; immediately its dark clothing began to blend with the darkness. Noticing Lavender was different from the usual trash it cleaned, the Black Demon began devising a new tactical plan to handle the situation. Before the vigilante could react however, Miss Lavender decided to take advantage of her adversary's hesitation.

Her orders had been to retrieve the target dead or alive, obviously alive for the larger bonus. Unfortunately for Miss Lavender, attempting to capture this target alive seemed too high a risk. Firing several rounds at the black figure, she tumbled backwards pre-emptively, avoiding the Demon's likely counter attack.

Not a moment too soon as turns out, the Black Demon almost instantly swung its arm around, elbow first, with enough force to easily incapacitate a normal human.

Miss Lavender quickly rose to her feet, prepared to defend herself against her wounded opponent. She had not anticipated her opponent's speed however, and was sent flying backwards by a well-placed kick. Heavily winded, Miss Lavender found her body unresponsive—until she impacted the wall. First, her nerves flared with an explosion of pain, overwhelming her other senses. Then her lungs spasmed with a violent action, trying desperately to restore equilibrium. And finally, her arms reacted with the twitching of her hand, firing more rounds at her target.

The Black Demon responded quickly, rolling to the side to dodge the incoming fire. The tumbles were only interrupted briefly for a counter attack. With a quick motion, the vigilante hurled a blurred projectile directly at the Lavender's chest.

She barely dodged, still struggling to regain her breath. At the sound of falling debris, she turned her head to see a grapefruit-sized hole in the brick wall behind her. The odds were against her if she took an attack like that head on. The fight was looking less and less preferable as time went on. Her only hope was the initial damage she had inflicted earlier limiting her opponent's fighting ability.

With an exaggerated flick, the Black Demon brought both its weapon and Lavender's attention back to its hand.

Miss Lavender narrowed her eyes in the darkness. _That seems a lot lighter when it's not attacking… and did I see a string? _Her eyes widened in surprise as she stared at the imposing figure in the darkness. _Fuck, somehow my earlier shots did nothing._ Discarding one of her guns, she began prepping a throwing knife behind her back. She waited for the Black Demon to move, figuring herself at a disadvantage.

In return, the vigilante was also wary, taking time to properly prepare an attack. The Black Demon threw its weapon once more before dashing straight at Miss Lavender, hoping to catch her unprepared. A shaft of metal glinted in the darkness, severing the connection between the Demon and its weapon. The vigilante let out a growl in frustration. _Careless! I forgot to reinforce the string with Ki!_ The flying weapon quickly arced downwards, bouncing harmlessly off the floor.

Smirking at the Demon's sudden halt, a sign of her advantage, Miss Lavender goaded her opponent, "What, that's it? Without you're little toy, you're nothing."

The Black Demon nodded meaningfully towards her remaining gun.

"Tools of the trade," she defended. In retaliation, she raised her gun, "And unlike yours, mine doesn't rely on some gimmick."

The Black Demon slowly walked forwards, ignoring the bullets as they pinged off its torso.

Miss Lavender suppressed her upwelling panic, she was a professional. "Why don't we see how you handle this?" she called out, grabbing the gun with both hands. Slowing her firing rate, she began to target likely weakness in the Demon's protection, aiming at joints and soft targets.

The Black Demon didn't even flinch at the new barrage, only shifting slightly when a bullet came near its neck.

"How about this?" Miss Lavender pointed her gun at one of her collapsed hired help. Noticing the Black Demon pause, she cocked an eyebrow, "Really? You don't have trouble maiming some criminals for life, but you don't think they deserve to die? You have a twisted sense of morals, you know that right?"

The Black Demon stood completely still, like a corporeal shadow, occupying the middle of the alley. After a tense internal struggle, the vigilante stood to the side, indicating towards the exit of the alley.

Slowly and cautiously, Lavender took steps towards the exit, careful to keep her weapon trained on her fallen 'ally'. When she stood right in front of the Black Demon, Miss Lavender couldn't help notice how short her opponent truly was, despite the tense atmosphere of the alley. One step, she was past the Black Demon. Two steps, she was closer to the exit than the Demon was. A third step, the tension was beginning to leave her body. A fourth step, overwhelming pain.

Collapsed on the floor, Miss Lavender cursed her carelessness. As soon as the Black Demon had been between her and the target she had lost her only advantage. She had made a potentially fatal miscalculation.

At that exact that moment, a worried man tentatively called out, from the mouth of the alley, "Hello? Anybody there?"

Miss Lavender almost laughed, coughing up blood instead. Although she wasn't able to move her lower body, her arm was responding just fine. Well, f_uck you Demon…._

Watching the would-be-assassin raise her gun, the Black Demon widened its eyes, instantly understanding her intent. The Demon reacted, knowing that physically intercepting the bullet was impossible, and instead, fired a Ki blast at Lavender.

The energy blast lit the alleyway in a blinding flash of light, enveloping the bullet, gun, and a good portion of Miss Lavender. The darkness quickly returned, but it did little to obscure the gruesome scene. The remains of the criminal sat propped against the alleyway wall. Missing half its face. And its right arm. And its shoulder. In fact, anything above the waist and to the right of the sternum had been vaporized. Unfortunately for any observer, the heat was not intense or high enough to completely cauterize the wounds—parts were falling out.

The remains of the right lung had been seared shut; part of the esophagus flopped just above it, exposed to the stagnant alley air. Small charred pieces flaked off, giving the tissue an appearance similar to that of a spotted snake. If the body were still living, a doctor would have easily declared it septic. Both digestive and fecal matter slowly oozed from various openings, polluting the air with a foul odour.

The innocent bystander stood in shock, unable to process what had happened—until a charred kidney squelched before flopping onto the floor. With a terrified scream he ran for all his worth, heading straight home.

The masked vigilante was frozen rigid, trying to process the past few seconds. The plopping of grey matter onto the cement ended the fighter's stupor. As if its strings were cut, the Black Demon dropped to its knees, pressing its hands to the floor. Tremors began to rack the Demon; they originated from the abdominal region, before violently travelling outwards. The vigilante crossed its arms, clinging to itself, in a desperate attempt to regain some semblance of control. Minutes passed before the Black Demon had composed itself enough to stand, intent on leaving the mess behind.

The Black Demon took one last look at the corpse, moving awkwardly to the alley exit. Suddenly, a pair of hands grasped desperately at their owner's mouth. With a sharp tug, the lower half of the face mask came off, revealing a feminine jawline and blue lips. Trembling lightly, her tight lips opened, completely unbidden.

Bent over, she vomited quietly in the dark alley.

* * *

><p>AN: Reviews are my motivation to keep going!<p> 


	5. Changing Relations

AN: I've gotten a lot of feedback on my Blur concept and have decided not to go back and revise it, but rather have Gohan learn from actually doing it, much like I did. I thank everyone for all their feedback!

Disclaimer: Do not own DBZ. M for mature content not in this chapter.

* * *

><p>A familiar officer was working a Sunday shift at local precinct. Sighing in frustration, Klark Cent completed his case report on the recent pick-up of the teen Shredder and his accomplice. If only his other concerns were so easily dealt with. With great reluctance, he re-examined the long memo from the higher-ups. They were promoting him.<p>

Normally, a promotion was a good thing—normally. Instead, he was obviously being used in a much larger political game. Making him a public figurehead, he was to lead the new taskforce against the Black Demon. A taskforce with absolutely no hope of capturing or finding the masked vigilante. If it wasn't for the recent murder with a gibbering witness's account, the police force wouldn't even be sure such a figure even existed.

Suddenly overnight, after the witness's testimony and the confirmation of the body, the police force had been suddenly galvanized into action. There was strong external and internal pressure for action to be taken, but honestly, the police had nothing on the son of a bitch. The witness's memory was shoddy, obviously affected by trauma, and the corpse was too far along, stinking up the morgue like something foul. Whoever ended up in control of the inevitable taskforce was going to be thrown under the proverbial public bus.

At least his superiors were nice enough to make him a Sergeant before he got run over.

Wearing his formal suit, Sergeant Cent stood up from his desk reluctantly. The clock signalled the imminent arrival of his required press conference. Groaning, he made his way to the podium setup within the press room of the precinct. He was going to deliver a short and sweet speech and hopefully only have to answer a minimum number questions.

Standing at the podium, the new sergeant tried to ignore the glaring lights as he faced the small assembled audience. Taking a deep breath, Klark started his short prepared statement.

"Three nights ago, the Black Demon was witnessed committing a murder. The Golden Star City Police Department does not and will not support vigilante activities. The crimes committed by this masked vigilante have escalated in nature and as such, the Police Department has put together a task force solely to catch this criminal. It is our hope we can bring justice for all those the Black Demon has wronged. Thank you for your time, that is all."

There was a sudden storm of raised hands from the group of gathered reporters. Letting out yet another sigh, Sergeant Cent prepared for the worst.

"Any questions?"

Minutes later, the new sergeant found himself fondly recalling his old simple and routine. Corralling citizens, writing tickets, and even dealing with crime scenes was preferable. Especially if crime scenes were wrapped and packaged like the Shredder case the day before.

The suspects had already been properly subdued by the time they arrived on the scene.

.

The warning klaxons ringing in Gohan's head did little to limit his thinking; compared to his previous life experiences, Shredder was ultimately pathetic. His concern was primarily on keeping Erasa safe, although keeping his abilities probably ranked high on the agenda. He knew that it would hard to balance both, but Gohan knew if push came to shove, literally, he would expose his abilities in order to protect his friend.

"Erasa, stay behind me," Gohan commanded, stoicism instantly replacing his usual carefree persona.

It was obvious to everyone present that something within him had changed; he was standing taller and with much more confidence than normal.

"Suddenly decided to grow a pair huh?" Shredder sneered, his facial expression quickly adopted by his two henchmen. They replaced their regular slouching posture with looming aggression, intent on intimidating Gohan and Erasa.

The blonde, stood nearly frozen, save for her trembling. The fear overwhelming her senses locked her mind and body. She couldn't recall the last time she'd been this scared. A deliberate motion caught her eye, knocking her out of her stupor.

The half-Saiyan took an intimidating step forward. His presence and confident aura was so strong, Erasa almost felt it as a tangible force. "Erasa, I want you to get out of here," he ordered, never taking his eyes off of Shredder.

"Y-y-you want me to what?" she squeaked, barely able to speak. She managed to sputter on, "B-b-but, w-what about you?" clearly worried for his safety.

Gohan turned his head, giving her a warming smile, "Don't worry, I'll be perfectly fine," his head snapped around as Shredder let out a guttural snarl. His stern mask settled back into place, glaring at the present threat. "This is between him and me. Isn't that right Shredder?"

The two locked eyes, neither one moving an inch. For Erasa and Shredder's cronies, time stretched, grasping and holding their complete attention. When the delinquent leader growled his small concession, the three let out breaths they hadn't realized they'd been holding in.

Erasa felt some feeling return to her body when Gohan returned his attention back to her. His warmth and demeanour was contagious. _How does he do that?_

"See? Everything's going to be fine," he intoned, obviously lying through his teeth for her benefit, "We're going to talk some things through, you don't need to be here anymore."

_Liar._ She held her tongue though, this wasn't the time—they needed help and fast, "Uh… ok, call me later, ok?" Erasa, walked away quickly, anxious to turn the corner and call Videl. The fighter was only a quick run away from their current location. Hopefully she could get here before things got too out of hand.

"Is there something I can help you three with?" Gohan asked, raising an eyebrow, completely calm. Now that Erasa was safely away, he found his anger simmering quietly in his veins. Any and all worry replaced by a rising lust for the violence likely to come. He was holding it back at the moment, but if they tempted him, he would let it take over.

"Don't fuck around with us, Nerd-boy," the brunette sneered, obviously upset Gohan wasn't freaking out like expected.

Shredder however, had quieted, carefully examining the half-Saiyan with an intense scrutiny neither of his friends could have replicated. There was something different about the usually bumbling teen. It seemed Erasa wasn't the only one who noticed the sudden change in atmosphere.

"We're here to fuck you," the other crony jeered, oblivious to the increased tension in the air.

"Huh, you're here to wha—with me?" the other teen replied, faking surprise and ignorance. He rubbed the back of his head in mock embarrassment, "Wow, sorry guys… I don't swing that way…"

His audacity shocked everyone into a pause of silence. It took a moment or two to process his insinuation before the trio roared in fury. Blinded by his rage, Shredder grabbed Gohan by the scruff of the neck and forced into a nearby alleyway between two shops. The other two followed quickly, their own excitement fueled by both anger and adrenaline.

_Hook, line, and sinker!_ The half-Saiyan fought the urge to smile, settling for an unnoticeable twitching of his lips. Not only were they going to be out of sight for any passerby, but they were setting it up for him! Instead of letting his amusement show, he played the part of whimpering coward, allowing his fighting spirit to shimmer just below the surface.

Gohan let Shredder throw him into the wall, re-establishing the punk's dominance; Shredder refused to acknowledge his earlier intimidation and in a subconscious effort to compensate, took his rage and viciousness to a whole new level. When the other teen collapsed to the floor, he delivered brutal kick at the slumped student's midsection. If Shredder was more observant, he would have felt the steel plating in his toes crumple slightly.

The less intelligent duo stared on in surprise, unsure how to react to their bosses' new take on alley fighting. They'd normally at least let the victim try to get a punch or two in. Before they could make a decision however, Gohan stood up, pretending to stumble in pain.

Leaning against the wall, he gasped loudly, feeling his amusement grow with each 'strained' intake of air. Gohan was not an accomplished liar, in fact by almost anyone's standards he was a terrible one. And he knew it. Somehow, they were completely buying it, an act put on by him, Gohan Son. He was close to bursting out in laughter.

It was a good thing his anger was being blunted by his good humour, or else Gohan may have used excessive force when Shredder swung his fist. Instead, he simply dodged his head to the side, surprising everyone present.

Shredder lunged forward, missing the boy, smashing his fist into the wall. Grasping his knuckles in pain, he howled, "You little fucker, you asked for it." To emphasize his point, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out a pair of brass knuckles. Grinning sadistically, he put them on, intent on destroying Gohan completely.

The two cronies laughed, with slightly veiled apprehension at the beating to come. However, their laughter was cut short when Shredder commanded them into action.

"Hold him."

Making clumsy grasps at Gohan, the two tried to pin his arms against the wall. They hadn't expected much resistance, never mind the evasiveness the nerd was demonstrating. With every lunge, the two found themselves grabbing nothing but air.

Gohan even stretched his arms out in front of him to tease the two, "Come on guys, I'm right here."

With a snarl, the both leapt at him from different angles only to collide with each other head on. Falling to the ground, the two felt their rage grow as the nerd had the audacity to laugh at them. They knew he was laughing at them and if they understood the concept of audacity, their bloodlust would have mirrored Shredder's.

The duo began another approach, more cautiously this time, neither of the two were intent on colliding into each other again. Over Gohan's shoulder, they saw Shredder raising a fist. Intent on causing damage, the two rushed forward to distract their target. Pain, the only thing that mattered was hurting their target and—

_Crunch!_

Indescribable pain blossomed across his face. With a painful and inaudible _oomph_ the pair was reduced to an individual, one of them receiving Shredder's fist to the face.

Gohan shot a cocky grin, standing a bit off, "Oops, looks like you missed." He wasn't worried about the damage; he assessed that the collapsed boy merely had a broken nose and mild to moderate concussion.

Surprised, both Shredder and his remaining crony froze up. The nerd's silent confidence threatened their own. In fact, the remaining crony backed away before running in terror. He couldn't explain why, Gohan hadn't demonstrated anything scary, but he knew he just needed to leave the alley.

Gohan watched him run; glad someone was going to learn from the experience. He returned his gaze to his would-be-tormentor and offered him amnesty, "This is your last chance, walk away and take your friend to the hospital. If you do, I'll forget this ever happened."

Roaring in rage, Shredder let his pride overrule his sense of self preservation. He took a swing with his right. A haymaker with his left. Each blow he threw had his full body weight behind it; they would have easily taken off a normal teen's head. If only they connected.

Letting his frustration show, he continued to rain blows on Gohan, "Stay. Still. Damnit!" he emphasized each word with a swing and a grunt. His muscles began to scream for oxygen. If he didn't deck the nerd soon, he'd lose the fright from exhaustion!

Luckily a much needed distraction gave him the opportunity he needed. A random shout from up the alley drew Gohan's attention, allowing the punk to land a vicious hook to the side of the half-Saiyan's head. Shredder grinned in victory as his fist made contact.

Then the world exploded in pain.

.

The following Monday, school greeted Erasa in the form of a question.

"How'd the date with you and Gohan go?" Sharpener asked her curiously before class.

Erasa nibbled at her bottom lip before sighing, "Not so good."

"Not so well," he corrected lightly, trying to raise her spirits.

His friend stuck her tongue out at him playfully before pouting, "He's so nice and cute… but…" Her voice trailed off, obviously unsure of how to continue.

"But what?" Sharpener prodded lightly, already suspecting the gist of her answer, "He's not for you?"

"Huh?" the female asked surprised. Her face took on a mix between confusion and thoughtfulness, "How did you know?"

The boy shrugged in response, trying to act nonchalant, "I kinda suspected as much last week. There were just moments which lacked chemistry."

Pouting prettily, Erasa complained, "Why didn't you tell me?" Before Sharpener could respond, she continued her tirade, "Why can't I fall for some decent guy? A great guy almost literally falls on my lap and I don't feel anything for him! Even when he saves me from Shredder and acts so cool, I still can't like him in that way!"

Half-ignoring her in a typical male fashion, Sharpener suddenly spluttered at her last sentence, "Wait what? He saved you from Shredder? What happened?" He demanded, obviously concerned for both his friends' wellbeing. Slamming his hand on the desk, he stood, obviously upset, "This is the sort of thing I need to know as soon as it happens!"

Erasa was both touched and slightly annoyed by his protective outburst. Deciding to calm him down rather than rile him up she explained, "The dick interrupted the end of our date. Gohan held them off and told me to run. I called Videl for help as soon as I could. From what she tells me she managed to get there in time and they were both okay. Gohan even called after to make sure I was fine."

"Really?" her friend asked skeptically, that Gohan, cool as he was, would be able to last any amount of time against the punks, "You sure he didn't pretend he was ok to make you feel better? He's not even here yet."

She shook her head emphatically, "I triple-checked with Videl. You know she wouldn't hide this sort of thing about others. She may be cold sometimes, but she wouldn't lie."

Sharpener conceded she may have a point, "Not when it comes other's safety I guess," he paused before giving a half-hearted grin, "When it's her on the other hand…"

Erasa gave out a reluctant sigh and agreed with a small nod, "Sometimes I wish she would let me in more. Like there are things she'll talk to me about, but anything that's big…" she sighed again, "I wish she'd just let us help her."

"She's proud. Just like her—well speak of the devil, look who just showed up," Sharpener replied before indicating the stairs with his head.

In a slight rush, Videl dashed up the stairs, only a minute left to get seated and prepared for class. Her hair was done in her usual pigtails and nothing seemed out of place. She seemed to have recovered from whatever bug she had last week.

Sharpener greeted her curiously with a small nod before questioning her, "Erasa told me the gist of what happened this weekend. Can you fill me in?"

Videl's returned smile suddenly diminished into a thoughtful scowl. After a moment she explained, "Turns out Gohan knows a little self defense."

"Really?" Sharpener asked in surprise. Meanwhile, Erasa frowned at the new revelation, unhappy with her emotions. _Really? Still no tinglies? Damnit! I guess it's just not meant to be…_

Videl gave a small nod, before continuing, "Gohan said I could tell you this, but it stays within us, ok?" she paused, giving them both time to nod. She then lowered her voice to a whisper, "Turns out his father was Goku Son."

"Who?" Erasa asked, unsure of Goku's importance or history. Sharpener meanwhile, felt his jaw drop in surprise. It took a moment before he gathered his wits enough to clarify.

"You mean the world martial arts champion before your father?" he asked excitedly, obviously wanting to confirm Gohan's illustrious ancestry.

Videl gave a small nod in time with the morning bell. Not wanting to disrupt the lesson and get in trouble with , she whispered quietly while looking ahead, "Yeah. The one and the same."

Suddenly, Sharpener's energy evapourated from his body. Not even looking at him, Videl curiously felt his excitement flee. Still she respected his privacy. Erasa however, possessed no such qualms.

"What's the matter Sharpie?" she spoke up, not lowering her voice in the slightest.

"Ahem," Mr. Alpha coughed, drawing her attention to the front, "Is there something you want to share with the class Ms. Rubber?"

"No, sorry, sir!" she yelped, ducking her head down in embarrassment.

"Good," the teacher continued his lecture, this time oblivious to the conversation taking place in the upper rows.

"What is it, Sharpie?" Erasa asked again, this time carefully keeping her voice low and head forward. A subconscious tic appeared on the teacher's forehead.

"It's just that…" Sharpener paused before turning to Videl, "Did Goku die fighting during the Cell Games too?"

"What do you—" Videl cut her own question short, understanding what her friend was implying. She'd never put together Gohan's explanations until now and it left her understandably curious. Her initial excitement at discovering his heritage had blinded her from its implications.

"What makes you ask that?" Erasa asked, not as quick on the uptake. She still kept her voice down.

Mr. Alpha's ears pricked forward picking up on her voice yet again. Luckily for the trio, his conscious mind was occupied with delivering the lecture material.

Unluckily for Gohan, it was at that exact moment that he burst through the door, late for class.

"Mr. Son! Why are you late for class again? So soon after the last!" Mr. Alpha's rage found an outlet, appropriate or not. Some of the students smirked, glad the teacher's pet was finally getting a tongue lashing.

"Uh, sir… could I explain privately?" Gohan sputtered, prepared to tell his cover story. The truth was, the Golden Blur had stopped a speeding vehicle this morning, accidentally revealing his face again when he forgot to blur. The two speeders had promised to respect traffic laws after a short flight within their four-wheeler.

Mr. Alpha gave Gohan the most intense stare he could muster, but soon cracked, unable to resist the boy's sheepish grin and embarrassed neck rubbing. He let out a sigh, "Come over and tell me what it is," he waved the teen over, "You can just tell me here."

"Uh, sir…" Gohan hesitated. His cover story was plausible, made sense, but was highly embarrassing. Which would actually make it an easier sell. He dropped his voice, "It's kind of private."

With an exaggerated sigh of exasperation for the sake of the class, the teacher pointed to the door.

"This had better be good."

Once outside the class, Mr. Alpha's demeanour changed completely from frustrated educator to worried mentor. "Is everything ok, son? Nothing wrong at home, I hope?"

Touched, but also surprised, Gohan waved his hand in front of him in panic, "No no no, nothing like that sir! It's just… my condition is a bit embarrassing." At his teacher's raised eyebrow he continued explaining, "I have IBS." His biology teacher winced in sympathy. "I try to deal with problems pre-emptively before class, but there are times I can't help it."

Mr. Alpha placed a comforting hand on his shoulder, "I understand. You have a pretty serious case don't you? You should probably let the school nurse know…"

"No," Gohan shook his head vehemently, "Do you know how embarrassing it would be on my record? I can get a doctor's note," with a pause he thanked Bulma's connections, before adding, "If you need it. But I'd really like this to stay private."

The teacher gave a reluctant nod, "… I can explain your situation to your other teachers and try to keep it quiet."

_He bought it._ Gohan let out a relieved sigh, though he couldn't help but feel guilty with his lie. Still it was necessary…

"Well," he received another hearty clap on the shoulder, "Why don't we head back into class? I'm already a few minutes behind this lecture."

With a small nod, Gohan hurried back into the classroom and quickly took his seat. He greeted his friends each with a cheery smile and a nod as he sat down.

Worriedly, Erasa recalled the recent discussion and quietly whispered to him, "Is everything ok, Gohan? Shredder and his goons didn't hurt you or anything right?"

He replied with a small shake of his head and another smile, "I'm fine, Erasa; Videl over here came soon after you left. I didn't have to deal with them for long. I really just talked a lot." He let out a small chuckle, "You'd be surprised how easy they are to distract with words."

Both blondes seemed to take his answer in stride, but Videl felt her curiosity only rise with his statement. _He's trying to blow it off like no big deal. But I swear he might have had it under control before I got there._

A loud cough from the teacher, redirected their attention back to the lecture. Instead of listening with attention like the others, Videl thought back to that afternoon.

_Immediately hearing the first part of Erasa's call, Videl had rushed out the door. From the panicked explanation she was hearing, Shredder and his goons were crashing Gohan and Erasa's date. And they weren't being friendly about it. The blonde was pretty sure if help didn't arrive soon they might seriously hurt Gohan._

_Telling Erasa to call the police, Videl hung up, before sprinting full out to the corner of Pooh Street and Happening Road. At her rate of travel, she'd arrive in a bit under 5 minutes. It was times like these Videl was glad she had long pushed herself beyond normal human limitations. She wouldn't need to slow until she reached her destination._

_After a few minutes of running, she turned the corner, bowling straight into one of Shredder's cronies. She couldn't even remember his name. He collapsed on the floor, obviously injured. She paused to give him a dark look over. He seemed injured from their crash, but in a moment he completely ignored her as he stood up._

_Without even looking back, he ran past Videl. She was surprised to notice his look of complete terror; it was rare for her to make someone piss themselves with a glance… At least during the day. _

_Quickly refocusing her attention forward, the fighter dashed towards the alleyway she suspected Gohan and Shredder to be in. At the mouth of the alleyway, she paused in shock taking in the scene before her. Gohan was dancing about Shredder, obviously enjoying his dominance in the fight._

_Shredder was oblivious to the actual situation, so intent on causing damage to his opponent. With each wild swing, he threw away more of his energy. He never stood a chance at landing an actual blow. _

_Noticing Gohan weave himself into a corner, Videl called out a warning, "Gohan, look out!"_

_Surprised, he turned towards her, his eyes opening wide. Videl screamed as she watched Shredders' fist slam into the side of Gohan's face, knocking him to the ground._

_The standing punk grabbed his fist, his face twisting in confusion. The female fighter charged him in rage, cursing herself for distracting her friend. She hoped that he'd be ok until she finished dealing with Shredder._

_Her target remained focused on Gohan, leaning forward slightly, strangely cradling his hands in his chest. He didn't even realize Videl's presence until her foot connected with the back of his head, pitching him forward into an alley wall. She resisted the urge to put too much energy in the kick still, unconsciousness was immediate._

_Quickly turning around in worry, she was dumbstruck to find Gohan standing easily and patting himself off. He seemed more concerned with the condition of his clothes than his face._

_He took in her gobsmacked expression and misinterpreted it. "Are you ok, Videl? He didn't hurt you or anything, right?" he asked her worriedly._

_Shaking her head slightly, she returned his concern, "Are you ok?" she asked, carefully examining her face. She ignored his discomfort at their closeness, aggressively, yet carefully, she grabbed his chin. With gentle movements, she turned his face despite his squawks of protest. There wasn't a mark on him._

"_How is it you're not hurt?" she demanded, angry at being worried about him in the first place; he seemed to have been fine after all. She ran all the way, worried out of her mind!_

_Gohan was obviously panicking with his hands and spittle going every which way. It was like he hoped they'd act as an actual barrier between her and him. "I don't know what you're talking about Videl! I… must have... uh… rolled with the punch! I rolled with the punch!"_

_Videl quirked an amused eyebrow at his antics, suppressing the urge to giggle at his behaviour. What. The. Hell? This wasn't her at all! Refocusing her attention, she poked the gaping hole in his story, "And where did you learn to 'roll with a punch'?" she demanded, forcing him against the alley wall with a strong poke from her index finger._

_With a stuttering reply, he explained himself, "I… uh… learned a bit…"He paused suddenly, obviously lost in some memory, probably a painful one. He swallowed before he continued, no longer intimidated by her body nearly pressing him against the alley wall, "…from my father."_

_Videl paused in surprise of both his answer and sudden change in demeanour. She took a step back and took a deep breath. Tentatively, she asked, "And he was…?"_

_With his quiet reply of "Goku Son," she felt a plethora of questions explode in her mind. Unfortunately it was at that moment that local authorities decided to arrive._

_She recognized Officer Cent, but it was really a non-issue. Once they told their story, one of the officers considered taking Videl down to the precinct for assault and battery, until Officer Cent pointed out Shredder's brass knuckles. After that discovery the police were more forgiving and in fact thankful Videl had taken him out without major injury considering the circumstances. The two collapsed punks would receive hospital treatment before they were interrogated on various criminal charges._

_For Videl however, the discovery of Shredder's brass knuckles only brought more questions and curiosity for Gohan. He quietly promised to answer her questions once they were done and they'd checked in with Erasa. Touched by his concern for a friend she'd completely forgotten about, she guiltily agreed to wait until later._

_And later came. They spent hours sitting together, in the nearby park. They talked briefly about family before moving on to simpler mundane things. Things that made Gohan laugh nervously, or Videl giggle even. It had been a while since the female fighter had ever been so comfortable in another's presence. It only a week or two, somehow the other teen had wormed his way into one of her closest people. The only reason their time in the park had been cut short was the loud grumbling of Gohan's stomach. Videl had sadly thought it was the end of their time together._

_She was wrong. Gohan knew the local restaurants and suggested they go have dinner and continue talking. His choice had been excellent, though he admitted he may have studied them the night before. It suited him though. It was with great reluctance that the two of them said goodbye that evening._

_Both of them were rather private individuals, not willing to share many intimate secrets, but somehow they both felt maybe in the future they could, at least with each other. Videl hadn't felt so relaxed with anyone but her mom since her dad had passed away. The time the spent together had been nice._

_Saturday had honestly been one of the best days of her life._

.

After school, Videl caught up with Gohan as he was leaving the grounds.

"Hey Gohan!" she called out, breathing in calmly, despite running across the school to find him.

"What's up Videl?" he asked in greeting, his usual warm smile perched on his face.

"Actually I wondering…" she began, not sure how to proceed. It wasn't a big deal. She took a deep breath before quickly sputtering out, "You want to hang out sometime after school?"

Completely unaware of her unusual behaviour, the half-Saiyan nodded in agreement, "Sure thing, but," he paused to check his wrist watch, "Today's not good. I kind of have plans already…" His voice trailed off when his palm began caressing the back of his neck.

He'd already made an excuse with his mother, baby-sitting Trunks, in order to patrol the city later. There was a disturbing trend of violent crimes after dark and it was time he stepped in to change things. It was the hope of both Bulma and himself that the presence of the Golden Blur would help deter many would-be criminals. In all honesty, without her backing he wouldn't have had the courage to lie to his mother like that.

The recent turn of events concerning the Black Demon was worrying however. Hopefully their actions and motivations wouldn't be associated with the darker vigilante's actions. Bulma had cautioned Gohan however from judging the other crime fighter. Little was known about the circumstances of the murder, but the Black Demon had demonstrated an aversion of killing in the past. Brutally maiming its victims was apparently punishment enough. Gohan had tried to take Bulma's advice to heart but, it so far it wasn't working out.

Still rubbing his neck, the half-Saiyan quickly reassured Videl about wanting to spend time with her, "I'd really like to hang out, I just need to know when. So I can let my mother know."

Amused, Videl tilted her slightly and cocked an eyebrow, "Need permission from your mother, eh?"

"Yes," he replied, meekly nodding his head.

The fighter raised a finger to her chin in thought. "How about Wednesday?" she suggested. With a normal heart rate again, Videl was able to act normally. To be honest, she felt like her previous worry had been a gross overreaction. _What's so weird about friends hanging out?_

"That sounds like a great idea," he replied.

"Ok, I'm looking forward to spending time with you after school then!" Videl allowed a rare smile to split her face. A smile of that magnitude was rare for her.

"Sounds good, I'll see you then!" Gohan grinned. He walked off and turned the corner, carefully tracking his friend's attention.

Apparently his dismissal wasn't exactly what she'd been expecting as she stood still, gazing out at nothing. Completely not understanding, he disappeared around the corner before blasting into the sky. He had a city to change.

.

Much later that evening, Gohan was patrolling some of the seedier areas high up in the air. He found that relying on his traditional Ki sense was useless; everyone involved was so below his notice, the general population always came across as a general smear of weak energy. Instead, the half-Saiyan attempted to hone his other senses. He found when he focused his energy towards his eardrums, his sensitivity increased dramatically.

It was a tremendous effort to filter through the overwhelming number of sounds, but he slowly began to adjust to the streams of noise. Gohan figured that a high pitched scream or fight would stand out from the usual mundane sounds. Oh how he was wrong.

So far he'd gotten himself involved in an argument over dinner choices between a girl and her boyfriend, a boyfriend sneaking up behind and scaring his girlfriend, and a bunch of young children have a small fight club outside their apartment—though his help with the old lady's kitten had been greatly appreciated. She'd even rewarded him with some home backed cookies. Unfortunately learning through experience, it was too hard to keep up his constant blurring and often, by accident, he'd end up revealing his face to others. He might give it up altogether; hopefully no one would connect the Golden Blur with the black-haired Gohan Son.

Flying just below the clouds, Gohan was thankful for the delicious cookies sitting in his stomach. And surprisingly, he was not that thankful for a crimeless night. Logically, he knew it was a good thing his presence wasn't needed; but he couldn't help but feel the whole afternoon and evening had been nothing but a waste of his time. It was time he could have spent with Videl instead. As if the universe heard his laments, Gohan felt a sudden spike of ki, rewarding his dedication.

Flying towards the site, he tried to study the energy, but its movements were strange. The power was minimal, but its movements were bizarre to say the least. Rather, the shape of the ki signature was. Up until now, the possibility had never even occurred to Gohan.

Slowing above an alleyway, the half-Saiyan watched as an armed group was decimated by a dark figure. Watching the figure fight and subdue the group, he assumed it must be the Black Demon. All of the Demon's victims wore a red coloured armband, possibly a gang, and were trying desperately to fight back. Despite the Demon's weak ki signature, the group didn't stand a chance.

The movements of the black vigilante were carried out with extreme precision and a grace which Gohan couldn't help but admire. If brutal ruthlessness and beating on a practically defenseless victims was admirable. Watching the Black Demon pull back a fist to deliver a potentially maiming blow at an already downed gang member, Gohan reacted.

The Black Demon tried to bring down her fist, only to find her wrist tight in the grip of another man. A tall, handsome, glowing man. His face was hard and set; the power emanating from him overwhelming. Feeling a cold sweat breakout, she tried to stand firm, composing her emotions beneath her mask. She jerked her head pointedly at her arm and tugged.

His muscles refused to budge.

"I can't let you do that."

* * *

><p>AN: I've renamed the story. Also, story wise I'm at a crossroads. I've figured out villainschallenges etc, but I'm not sure what to do with Golden Blur/Black Demon's warring philosophies and settling the two. I'll likely end up blending the two, but this is a warning that my next update may take a while. Input would be appreciated! Also input on the title change would also be appreciated. Thanks for reading!


	6. Fighting Monsters

AN: Sorry for the long pause between updates! This chapter is a bit shorter than normal, but I think it ends in a good spot. Feedback is what keeps me going; reviews are greatly appreciated.

"I can't let you do that."

Gohan regarded the Black Demon. He decided to give up on blurring and simply kept his head still. The vigilante before him was small, tiny even, but the strength behind its arm was no joke. Obviously versed in the basics of ki useage, the Demon would easily outclass any regular criminal in terms of power and speed; in fact, firearms may not even have had an effect on it.

"He's already down, he's going to the police," Gohan explained, clearly disliking the blatant use of excessive force.

The remaining able-bodied criminals clamoured to respond.

"We surrender!"

"We give up dude!"

"Yeah! What he said!"

The Black Demon turned and focused its attention on Gohan, ignoring the cries of the remaining criminals. With a very directed gesture, the Demon flexed its captured arm, its eyes hidden behind reflective lenses.

The half-Saiyan stood firm, "Not until you promise that you're done here." He watched as the Demon refocused its attention on the few scattered thugs before it took a menacing half-step forward, ignoring the hold Gohan had on it. The criminals screamed in response. After several long seconds, the Demon turned its attention back to the golden warrior.

Very slowly, the Black Demon nodded its head with obvious reluctance.

A cheer rose up among the four conscious crooks, only to be quickly silenced by another glare from the Demon. Gohan wasn't sure if the Demon could be held to its word. As a precaution, he flared his Ki to even greater heights, hoping to intimidate the dark vigilante. Either the Black Demon was unable to sense his power level, or he didn't care. One was obviously more worrisome than the other.

"I'm going to let you go now," was met with a blank look, "I need you to promise, you are done here," the Demon continued to stare. "Look, I need you agree that you will not hurt these people anymore."

Gohan's last phrase seemed to register with the other vigilante and he got a small nod in agreement. With a sigh, he released the Black Demon's arm hoping he was not misplacing his trust. Stiffly, the Black Demon flexed its arm and fingers to check for any damage, but there wouldn't be since Gohan had been careful. Obviously satisfied that nothing was wrong, the Demon turned to face the remaining gang members as they cowered in fear. Slightly annoyed, the demi-saiyan flared his Ki and directed its intent at the other vigilante.

The Black Demon half-turned and smirked slightly at him, as though to say - I get it, I get it - before taking off, straight up into the night sky.

Gohan was momentarily surprised by this and tried to track the Demon's Ki, but found himself unable to locate it. His attention was quickly called back to the ground as one of the gang members began blubbering his thanks.

"Thank you so much bro!" He leapt forward and gave the golden man a hug, "I thought I was going to die!"

With his arms pinned to his side in an awkward position, Gohan tried his best to pat the man on the back and comfort him, "It's ok now. You all are going to be fine."

"You're so fucking cool," commented another gang member, "That Black Demon almost pissed itself running away!"

"Well..," Gohan drew out, not wanting all this attention, "It wasn't a big deal."

"Wasn't a big deal he says!" another member chipped in, "You whooped his ass without even whooping his ass!"

A moan brought Gohan's attention to the ground. Over half a dozen of the gang members were in varying states of consciousness and splayed all over the floor.

"We should get them some help," Gohan stated, taking control of the situation.

"Oh shit, I totally forgot! Benny! Dude, get up!" One of the delinquents reached down and began shaking his gangmate.

"Stop that!" Gohan yelled, his concern clear, "He might have serious spinal damage."

The man jumped back, spreading his hands wide, "Well shit, that's something that needs to be treated at a hospital. We don't do hospitals."

Gohan glared at the conscious members, letting them know that compliance was mandatory, "You can and you will. There's already been an anonymous call to the police and EMT's-" he cut off one of the gang members about to speak with a hand motion, "You are going to cooperate with the police and you are going to make sure your friends get the help they need."

There were varying responses of enthusiasm, but they clearly had no say in the matter. The Golden Blur had no intention of leaving until the very last moment. And when the police arrived on scene, Sergeant Cent took over the moment the vigilante took off.

Despite his outward scowl, the investigator was privately pleased. The incident gave his task force four witnesses who were fully conscious and functioning with information about both the Black Demon and the Golden Blur. Who knows, his political-martyr-force may actually get to do something.

.

"... and in line with our new after-school initiative, Golden Industries will be providing legal aid and covering all health care costs for the troubled youth victimized yesterday by the Black Demon's brutal attacks. "

Xel Rohtul turned off the TV with a remote, a shadow of a smirk flitting across his face. Things were looking up.

"In a pleasant mood, I see," Reltub commented, his face an ever polite mask.

"Quite, my dear Reltub," the billionaire explained as he walked behind his seat. Grasping the back of his chair and squeezing it excitedly he continued, "It appears that our publicity department is performing its role admirably. The past 12 hours have been a refreshing reprieve of positive news."

"Sir, our legal team is currently talking with the teens as we speak," Reltub informed him, intent on continuing the trend, "We should be receiving a preliminary report within the next hour or two."

Turning around, the multi-billionaire took a comfortable seat at his desk. Clasping his hands together, he didn't even try to mask his pleasure, "Very good Reltub. Yesterday's incident has given us a golden opportunity, which I fully intend to capitalize on. With more information on this Black Demon, it is simply a matter of time before this vigilante is brought to justice."

"And the Golden Blur?" Reltub asked. It was obvious his master had wanted the question asked; it was simply a matter to oblige him.

"Ah, the Blur..." Xel Rohtul grinned, "Our new arrival, according to the general populace, is a bonafide hero. Not only is he openly revealing himself, but his existence is still being tied back to our company, rightfully or wrongfully so."

His personal butler quirked an eyebrow, an amazing display of emotion for him, "Rightfully or wrongfully sir?"

"Why yes, now if he continues to reveal his face to those he saves, it is only matter of time before we can deduce his true identity," the handsome billionaire explained. Standing up, he passionately continued, "So long as we establish a link with him before the media or general populace can, the opportunities this situation presents are quite exciting. I know Dr. Septavius is more than excited at an opportunity to work with such an extraordinary individual."

"Indeed sir," Reltub bowed slightly, but continued to express his concerns, "And if this new 'hero' interferes with your other projects? How do we ensure his future compliance?"

Xel Rothul frowned slightly, obviously giving the point some thought, "Don't think I haven't already considered these potential outcomes, dear Reltub, but again I must thank you for being a voice of reason and grounding for my excitement." He ignored his manservant's polite nod of acknowledgement and explained his thought process, "But remember, anyone can be bought, it is a simply matter of price. Whether it is money, power, or the continued existence of a loved one, anyone can be bought."

"Very good sir," Reltub bowed slightly. About to dismiss himself, the manservant suddenly brought his hand up to his ear, listening to his earpiece.

Xel Rothul watched with mild interest as his personal servant finished listening to the update. "Yes? Something I should be made aware of?"

To his credit, the butler's face didn't even twitch. He simply replied, "I believe I have more good news for you sir."

Placing his hand over his chest, the billionaire exclaimed, "Why, Reltub, if I wasn't in peak physical condition, I might be worried about my cardiovascular health!"

It took all of his servant's willpower to not comment.

"Too much?" Xel Rothul asked, grimacing.

"Perhaps," came the polite reply.

With a grandiose sigh, the billionaire placed his arms on his desk, "What delightful news do we have?"

"Soil Laen has confirmed your dinner reservations, sir."

Xel Rothul's perfect smile illuminated his office. "It seems everything is progressing according to plan."

"Very good, sir."

.

Elsewhere, the previous evening's events were also being discussed. This time, the discussion was being held by four high school students in the minutes before class.

"Did you guys hear about yesterday?" Erasa squealed excitedly.

Sharpener crossed his arms contemplatively, "Yeah it was all over the news this morning. Seems like the Blur and the Demon finally ran into each other."

"Wait it's already all over the news?" Gohan exclaimed.

Videl, arched an eyebrow at his surprise, "Really Gohan? Are you that surprised that the city's newest _superhero_ wouldn't be all over the news?"

"Uh…" the half-saiyan sheepishly rubbed the back of his neck, "Maybe?"

"Both a nerd and a country boy," Sharpener bemoaned. He raised his hands in mock despair, "What are we ever going to do with you?"

"Shut up Sharpener," Videl punctuated her statement with a blow to his shoulder. It was likely going to bruise later.

"Ow, Videl!"

Erasa pouted a bit before refocusing the discussion, "The Golden Blur isn't the Golden Blur anymore!" she exclaimed before hearts formed in her eyes, "He's apparently really really dreamy."

Sharpener rolled his eyes, "Of course that's what you'd remember from the newscast," Then he saw Videl's raised fist, "Not-t-t that there's anything wrong with that of course."

"Of course! Even the famous reporter Soil Laen says he's good looking for his age! And he's apparently our age."

During this byplay Gohan looked down at his desk, trying desperately not to blush. _Don't let it show. Don't let it show._

"I don't see what the big deal is," Videl commented, "So he's the Gold Fighter now, he's still the same guy."

Erasa replied, "But he's dreamy."

Her reply prompted a snort from the fighter and a thoughtful look from Sharpener.

"Actually it is a big deal."

Everyone, including Gohan, turned to look at Sharpener.

A bit surprised by the sudden intensity of everyone's focus, the blonde took a moment to regain his thoughts, "Well… the way I see it. Before, he was a myth. Something that wasn't necessarily real. But now everyone knows he's real, that makes a big difference."

Videl frowned in thought, "But what about the Black Demon? Isn't that the same thing? Everyone knows the Demon is real since a few days back."

"I know where Sharpener is going with this," Gohan cut-in suddenly very passionate, "It's about giving people a face to see. He's not just some mask-less spectre that terrorizes criminals. He's someone that victims and criminals alike can see—it allows for people to establish personal connection."

"See and connect with?" Videl demanded, suddenly angry, "Ok, I understand maybe why it'd be comforting for the victims of a crime. But, why are we trying to _connect_ with criminals? I'd much rather they get punished for their crimes and thrown in jail."

Sharpener was about to comment but was cut off by Gohan, "But people deserve a second chance. Jail is at best a semi-effective _deterrent_. People still reoffend after their sentence. Instead we need to be offering better options for people and help eliminate the conditions that turn them to crime, not take the easy way and lock everyone up."

"What about murderers, rapists, and other sadistic offenders? Do monsters deserve a second chance?" Videl's passion coloured her words. She shook her head at Gohan's ignorant idealism, "It's people like you that let violent offenders recommit crimes because we let them out giving them 'second chances' to redeem themselves—"

"Excuse me, people like _me_?" the half-saiyan cut in, obviously insulted.

"Yeah, people who are too weak to do what's necessary. Unwilling to do what's necessary to keep the public safe," Videl continued, oblivious to his hurt. She shook her head in disappointment, "I thought you'd understand better because of what happened with Cell and your dad—"

"I don't see what my father has to do with anything," Gohan interrupted, angry. His friends looked at him in surprise; it was the first time they'd seen him genuinely angry, "You have no idea what you're even talking about."

Trying to calm down the situation, Sharpener attempted to mollify him, "I'm sure Videl didn't mean it like that Gohan."

Before anymore could be said, Mr. Alpha began to call the class to attention. Looking at both his friends, the blonde decided it may best to let them both cool off a little. Videl had a bad habit of getting personal when she argued and unfortunately, Gohan likely didn't know her well enough to know that. It'd be easier to diffuse the situation later.

Erasa on the other hand, was completely bewildered. A conversation stemming from her crush on the Golden Fighter had someone devolved into a philosophical debate. And to make matters worse, now two of her friends were angry at one another!

As class wore on, things didn't get much better. There was a tense silence between Videl and Gohan, one that neither blonde was willing to break. The atmosphere was so intense that everyone sitting in the back section of the room felt it pressing down on them. By the second half of the period, even the front of the class felt the very air dampen down upon them. It made for one of the quietest classes Mr. Alpha had ever taught, much to his enjoyment.

For everyone else it was going to be a problem; the argument wasn't likely to be resolved soon and the air was thick with emotion. In hindsight, Videl realized she may have gotten a little personal, but her pride prevented her from apologizing immediately. It was also disheartening to realize the extent of Gohan's naiveté. To be fair, his views weren't that surprising, but for some reason finding out how he disagreed with one of her fundamental values irked her. Rationally, she was likely overreacting but irrationally, she was still annoyed. And it didn't help that he had dismissed her views.

However, in Gohan's mind, Videl was in the wrong. Yes, both their fathers were victims of the Cell Games, but how had that even been relevant? Where he learned his personal morals and values shouldn't be called into question and attacked. Admittedly, his father may have been naïve and idealistic at times, but he liked to believe the best in people would pay off more often than not. If Goku hadn't believed in others, where would the earth be? Vegeta and Bulma would never have conceived Trunks and without a significant portion of its defenders, the world would be victim to the Androids if not Cell. Not only that, but Videl challenged his spirit and conviction to do what was necessary.

When the periods transitioned, the class remained where they were, waiting for Mr. Beta. No one said a thing. And it was this disturbing silence which greeted 's entrance. Unlike their earlier instructor, was a more interactive teacher and preferred active participation from his students. The teacher was understandably puzzled; every question felt like pulling his students' proverbial teeth. The atmosphere was so disturbing that he decided to end class 10 minutes early for lunch.

Gohan left the room in a hurry, eager to put some distance between Videl and himself. He only slowed slightly when he heard Sharpener calling for him.

"Hey Gohan! Wait up!"

Letting out a sigh, the half-saiyan obliged his friend. _He's probably going to try to get me to apologize…_

"I'm really sorry about Videl dude." _Huh?_

The blonde continued to explain, "She gets very passionate sometimes and doesn't really think things through. She kinda rushes into everything, balls to the wall you know?"

"I'm not really sure what you mean actually," Gohan gave a sheepish confession, "What does balls to the wall mean?"

Sharpener let out a bark of laughter, "Man, you're really something else nerd boy."

"Huh?" _He still didn't explain anything…_

"Basically, what I'm trying to say is that Videl didn't mean to upset you like that, you know?" the jock explained, "She just really got worked up because she actually _cares_ about what you think."

"She sure has a way of showing it," Gohan replied, still surly.

"Trust me," the blonde put a hand on his chest, "The only people who can get Videl that worked up are people she cares about or assholes. And since you're nerd boy, I'm going with the former."

Gohan quirked an eyebrow jokingly, "Who's to say nerds can't be assholes?"

The two of them shared a good natured laugh as they continued down the hall. They carried on in an amicable silence, with both friends feeling a little better.

As they exited the school, Sharpener couldn't help but ask, "You ok though dude? I know Videl didn't mean to upset you, but it doesn't mean she didn't. Sometimes she's just too good at spotting people's weaknesses. Physical or otherwise."

Gohan shook his head and gave his friend a warm smile, "I'll be ok. I don't think I'm really upset with her anymore. I've just always been really sensitive about the topic of my dad."

"You really cared about him, huh?" Sharpener asked, glad to see this more passionate side of his friend.

"Yeah, he was the best person I've ever known," the half-saiyan explained wistfully, "He was my hero."

"I'm sure he was," the blonde replied before commenting, "You know, this was the first time I've seen you worked up over anything."

Gohan awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck, "I normally don't get so worked up over things. I don't know, somehow Videl just seems stir up my emotions."

His statement confused his friend, "I thought you two got along."

"Normally we do," Gohan confirmed. He then continued to explain, "What I mean is that spending time with Videl this weekend was amazing. But apparently she can get me worked up too."

Sharpener narrowed his eyes, "What exactly happened after your date with Erasa?"

"We just talked," the half-saiyan replied, "We had a great meal and talked some more. I haven't enjoyed someone else's company like that in a long while."

The blonde's eyes shot wide at that response. _He doesn't even realize he's falling for her._ Clearing his throat, Sharpener tried to act normal, "Sounds like the two of you had a great time."

"I know I did," Gohan agreed, "Actually I'm pretty sure Videl did too, because she wanted to hang out later this week after school." He then frowned, "I hope she's still up for it after earlier."

"Don't worry about it bud," Sharpener consoled, ignoring the internal twinge of jealousy, "We'll just give her a bit of time. Don't worry, Erasa's got it."

.

"What was that all about?" demanded Erasa, hands on her hips.

Pretending to be oblivious, Videl asked, "What was what all about?"

"Don't you try to even pretend missy," her blonde friend scolded, wagging her finger, "I'm talking about you going and upsetting Gohan!"

Videl turned, unable to meet her eyes, "You're just overreacting. So I got a little personal, it's nothing new."

"Gohan doesn't know that!" Erasa exclaimed with a wave of her arms, "He doesn't know that you didn't mean it! He looked pretty upset after your litle fight."

The fighter frowned in response, "He's a big boy Erasa. He doesn't need me to coddle him."

The blonde pretended to look confused, "I thought you said he was weak?"

Videl let out a reluctant sigh, "You know I don't actually think that about him. After all he did protect you and everything."

"Then why did you say it?" Erasa asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"It's just that, I sort of expected that Gohan would've just agreed with me," the fighter explained.

"Why does it matter if he agreed with you or not?" the blonde was beginning to suspect, but it was now a matter of confirming it.

"I don't know," Videl shook her head. Taking a breath, she tried to organize her thoughts, "I don't know. Just after this weekend and spending some time getting to know him, I just thought that...'

"Hm?..." Erasa quirked an eyebrow.

"I just thought he and I just clicked really well, you know?" Videl finished lamely.

_I thought so!_ Erasa tried to suppress her inner glee. She continued to play the reprimanding friend, "And that means you two should agree on everything, all the time?"

"No, I don't expect that," Videl pressed a fist against her forehead in frustration, "I know it doesn't make sense, but I just... I don't even know what I was thinking. Look I know I got personal and overreacted ok? I'll apologize later."

"Good!" exclaimed Erasa, happily clapping her hands together, "Now about you and Gohan..."

Exasperated, Videl threw her hands in the air, "What about me and Gohan? Wasn't that just what we were talking about."

"I'm talking about how you're totally crushing on him, silly," the blonde explained as though to a slow child.

"I'm not crushing on Gohan!" the fighter exclaimed, blushing slightly.

"Well?" Erasa continued, ignoring the outburst, "When are you going to ask him out?"

Videl scowled, "I'm not going to ask him out."

"Why not?" the blonde demanded, "You're a strong woman who doesn't take crap from anybody. What's wrong with you asking to hang out with Gohan sometime?"

About to respond, the brunette closed her mouth and blushed.

Erasa noticed this and squealed, "Oh my god! You already asked him out!"

"We're just hanging out!" Videl defended, "We are _not _going on a date!" She suddenly deflated, "I don't even know if we're still going to after how I upset him earlier..."

"Don't be silly, Gohan's a sweetheart. He'll forgive you for sure," Erasa consoled, before squealing once again, "We need to figure out what you're going to wear for your date!"

"It's not a date," Videl scowled.

"So when did you two agree to _hang out_?" Erasa asked cheekily.

"Tomorrow after school," Videl murmured petulantly.

"This is so exciting! Screw the Blur and the Demon! That's yesterday's news!" Erasa exclaimed as they exited the building, "Videl Satan is going on a date!"

"It's not a date!"

.

_Yesterday's news..._

Breathe. Breathe. Breathe God Damnit! Breathe!

The Black Demon was hunched over, trying to regain her senses on a roof a few blocks away from the Golden Blur. It was taking all of her concentration to suppress her Ki, leaving her with no energy to stop her body from shaking. She was pathetic. And weak. Weakness felt foreign to her, something from her past. It was entirely _his_ fault.

What overwhelming power! The Golden Blur was untouchable and it had taken every single bit of her resolve to stand strong in his presence. Her first instinct when he appeared had been to run. When she challenged him by further threatening the gang members, her survival instinct had screamed at her to run, but the fighter in her refused. The mission came first.

Thankfully the Golden Blur had stayed with the criminals; perhaps he was aware of their robbery just previous. Whatever his reasons, it seemed that he wouldn't be following. As a precaution, she continued to suppress her Ki and she took off quickly across the building tops, intent on getting home as soon as possible. Not only would she be safer there, but her experience with the Golden Blur had left her outfit drenched in a nervous sweat. Things were going _squish_ in her armpits.

She sighed as she jumped down to a nearby fire escape. At least she had the peace of mind now to complain and possibly joke about her situation. The presence of the city's newest 'superhero' had left her shaken to her core. It was a simple matter to work her bedroom window open before slipping inside.

Her clothes on the other hand, were actually proving more difficult to remove. Though the underlay material of her suit was designed to wick away sweat and moisture, it was not designed to handle torrential rain or its sweaty equivalent. It was a tremendous struggle to remove the final layer as it stuck like glue. Fortunately, the less delicate outer body armour was durable enough to be removed without much finesse. After several minutes of rolling around on her floor, the Demon was able to jump into the shower.

In all likelihood, her mother would continue to sleep on, oblivious, just like every other night. Her nightly patrols coincided with her sudden interest in doing her own laundry. As much as her mother would like to believe, it was not an acceptance of greater household responsibility, but rather a greater one. As the water continued to rinse away her sweat, the vigilante mused, _I doubt mom would approve of my actions and views on civic duty…_

But it didn't matter. She had a mission. She'd trained for years to make it possible and it was all in memory of her father.

"_Bwuhahaha! Don't worry honey bun, nobody can stand against the champ!" her father exclaimed uproaringly._

"_But daddy! He's a monster!" she replied, her worry triggering tears, "Look at everybody he's killed."_

"_He's a trickster, who can't really fight! Those lights and explosion—" the man bent over to hug his daughter as she started to cry full-out, "What's wrong sweetie?"_

"_You've been trying to do those tricks since you've watched the old martial arts tournaments!" she countered, seeing right through his masquerade, "I saw you do it once! And then you fainted!" her argument was followed by a wail of despair._

_The recent WMAT winner's demeanour suddenly turned somber, "The people need someone to believe in honey. Even if it's just for another day. I have to try."_

"_But, why do you have to fight him?" she demanded, stomping her foot._

_Her dad adopted his trademark goofball grin as he patted her head, "Someone has to fight the monsters. For now, that someone will be me."_

"_But why?" she asked, her tears beginning to drench her top._

_He reached down and hugged her for the last time._

"_It's because I love you Videl."_

And because she loved him in return, she would also fight the monsters.


End file.
